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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.457 1996-1998 Gam- Environment Hawaii F RECENED a monthly newsletter Price: s;.So ~ County Council lf)-~f_.. New Plan for a Hilo Irradiator Gets WongWa~ys Corrigan! Backing of State, County Officials Jim Co ' aChi rngan, sago grocer, and Lyle Wong, of the Hawaii Department of ews that the administration of "predicted opposixion to future projects be- Agriculture, have done more to promote Hawaii Counrywould be seeking ing planned for the Big Island, including irradiated fruit from Hawaii than any to build a fruit irradiation facility trying to lure the U.S. Department of Agri- other two people. made the front page of TheHonoluluAdver culture co build an irradiation plant here." A No doubt, they mean well. But when riser on December 30, r996. In an article by 'few days lazer, Yaniashiro met in Hilo with viewed as part of a lazger picture, it's hazd the Advertiser Big Island correspondent, officers ofIsomedix, Inc., an irradiation firm not to see them as pawns in ahigh-stakes. Hugh Clazk, Mayor Steve Yamashiro was on the mainland, the owner ofa grocery [hat +game to make irradiation commonplace in saidrobeplanningtoasktheCountyCouncil sells irradiated food in Chicago, and other `the UnicedStatesandabtoad-agame for sz million to support a facility to irradiate proponents of irradiation. that has nothing ro do with protecting food tropical fruit for shipment to the mainland. Another foreshadowing of the mayor's quality and everything to do with reviving The county's plans, which Yamashiro in- intent may be seen in a December r996 drafr a moribund nudeaz industry. lists are still not well formed at this stage, of a high-tech "strategic plan" prepazed by In this issue, Environment Hatvai i representthethirdgeneracionofplanningfor the Hawaii Island Economic Development providesanoverviewofrecencdevelop- a fruit irradiation facility. Boazd, a private group that receives substan- mencs on the Hawaii irradiation front. In The first generation developed in the late vial public funding and which works closely addition, we devote several pages co a sum- r98os, when the scare proposed building an with Yamashiro's office. That drafr report mary of some of the most frequent argu- irradiator for treatment of papayas in Hilo. rolled forsupport of"expedited partnerships menu for and against irradiation. We hope That plan, which never enjoyed populatsup- and timelines for a produce and product this will be useful in the months to come, pon, ultimatelycollapsed in r989when the s5 irradition [sic] facility."The final document, as the public and lawmakers at the state million in funds tha[ the stare had obtained dated January z, r997, contained identical and wunry level consider the issue. (including s4 million from the U.S. Depatt- language (down co the misspell). ment of Energy) fell shott of the s6 million estimated cost of construction. $ $ $ The second generation of planning for an IN THIS ISSUE irradiation Facility began in r993 when the Setting the Stage state Department of Agriculture's Plant In- 2 dusrry Division, under the leadership oELyle For about fouryears after the initial proposal Wong, began todiscusssttategiesforbuilding to developafruicirradiationfacilitymetwirh lrradiarion ofmirirradiationfaciliryarorneartheHono- clefeat,thestatedidlittletopromotetheidea No. Thanks-Again lulu airport. (Those plans were discussed in further. In February t993, however, Wong the July r995 edition of Environment drafred a letter, signed by then-Department 6 Hatwri`i.) ofAgricultureadminiscratorYukioKitagawa, TheProrandCon: Yamashiro's effort comes even as Wong is raising once more the prospect of irradiation Oflrradiatixg Food still working for the Honolulu site. Wong asameansofincreasingthevalueofHawai is cold£nvironmentHarvai`ithatthetimingof agricultural exports. Respondingtoarequest 10 Yamashiro'sannouncemencwasunexpeaed, bystateRepresemativeRobettN.Herkesfor but it could not have come as much ofa an esrimare of the value of crops Hawaii Cetiant lrradiaror surprise. As early as July t995, Yamashiro had could produce if fruit flies were eradicared, Hat Yer To Leave Draruiag Boards indicazedhisimerescindevelopinganirradia- Kitagawacitedafigureofs3oomillionayeaz. 11 cionfaciliryontheBigIsland.Anartideinthe (The figure was takenfromarepottprepared H:nvni'i Trihune-Hera/don Juh~ z ofthar year by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii on Coar Gives Greer Light ~eporred that Yamashiro, in a meeting with alien pest species: Kitagawa acknowledged For H£LCO PGr,u the H:nvai`i Island Contractors Association, See "lrrndiario,:'; page3 E1AiGi11~~~ J ~~t r..S7 ~ x.. i<et. '3bt~'esen Ref. APR 4 199 I'cbruary 1997 ~ Environment HawaPi ~ Page; Page z ~ Environment Hawa7i ~ February t9y7 C EDITORIAL Irradiation: No, Thanks -Again F or years, critics of food irradiation posal xo enxrusr millions of curies to the care high-tech snake-oil salesman's dream come have described the idea as little more of people who have no special skills, no true. than a promotional gimmick devel- training, and no ability to pay for clean-up Ix was a bad idea in r988. It was just as bad oped by the manufacturers and operaxors of cows in the not-unlikelyeventofcarasaophic in r995. In r997, it is worse dtan ever. atomic weapons and nuclear power plants failure is utter, terrifying folly. and their allied industries. Two years ago, a group calling itself the $ $ $ They maybe onto something. Eagle Alliance was formed co promote food Our review of files at the crate Depan- irradiationasoneoffivekeygoals.Theoxhers MaI1a(o, Gary mein of Agriculture suggests that Hawaii is were to "achieve pro-nudeaz planks in major attheforefrontofarenewednacionalbaccleto political party" platforms; ro "develop ad- sadness do we note the passing of our win populaz suppott for food irradiation. vanced radiation techniques ro cure cancer in prinrer, Gary Kuhn. Gary, who was 58, died Every Tom, Dick, and Harry with any irra- America" (do cheynotcareabouxnon-nuclear at his Kailua, Oahu, home on December r9. diction plan, however cockeyed or haze- techniques,orcancerelsewhere?);to"achieve In the neazly seven years that we worked brained, has received red-carpet treatment risk-based regulations for nuclear industry;" him Gary never failed to deliver our Erom the crate DOA, while those who have and co "build strong local support base for y~~ on time, even when we might have not joined the bandwagon have been labeled pro-nuclear political actions. Members in- ~n runninglateourselves. Healways found as Luddites, hippies, hypocrites, commu- elude CEOs of nuclear equipment manufac- ar source of recycled paper for our stock, nists,orworse. racers,headsofutilirycompanieswithnttcleaz even when supplies were scarce. Whenveg- But it's not the opponents who are the enable-based inks came on the market, he crackpots here. Noc by a long stretch. pioneered their rue in all his jobs, not just our Surelytheprizeintharcategorygoestothe "~tJjpublicoffzcialseagerto publication. diabolical Dr. Dooms behind Gray*Star, the embrace any idea, however nuteyl To Angie, his parirter in life and in work, company that plans to take nation's stock of we extend onr sincere sympathy. cesium-r37 off the Department of Energy's that holds the remotestprospeet of hands and pass it out like candy to anyone economicgrowth, the state has $ $ $ who can ante up xhe sz million chat its acquired an embarrassing reputation irradiators are expected co cosx. Their pro- ws the high-tech snake-oil salesman's Transitions dream come true. " With this issue, we welcome Teresa Dawson xoourscaff. SheisagraduaceoftheUrtiversiry Environment ® Hawai t generators, and -ironically, given what is of Hawaii journalism program and has known about radiation's effecr on human Forked ax a variety of Hawaz`i publications, health-anofficerofrheAmeritxn Cancer including an internship ac the Honolulu zoo Kanoelehua Avenue, Sui¢ to;-;z5 SOCiery. Weekly and a 5[Int With Che URIVeCSIry of Hilo, tlt 9G7m At the same time the Eagle Alliance was Hawaii Mazine Option Program. being formed, the U.S. Depanmenc of En- Teresa will be taking over much of the Volume 7, Number 8 February t997 work done b uliec B who leawes ergy announced is would be accepring pro- Y J ~eY, Patricia Tummons. Editor posals for the privatization of radioactive Ettv+ronmenr Hatvai `i afrer years of dedi- Tetesa Dawson. Reszartb .t:si:rnnt isotopes, while the U.S. Department ofAgri- rated and underpaid service. Thanks, Juliet, Environment Hawaii is published monthly by Envi- culture and ins associates in the 1ndUSCIlallZed and best wishes in your new job. ronment HawaPi. Inc., a Sor(t)(;) non-profit corpora- agllcnl[LLre bUSlneSS discussed ways Of ITtak- tion. Subscriptions are s;5 individual: s65 supporting; ing Irradiated fOOdS more palatable, If yOLL ~ $ s6s corporate and instimcional. Send subscription in- will to the consuming public yuiries, address changes, and all other correspondence ~p~ rot.'ncironmenrHawai'i, zoo KanoelehuaAvenue,Suite Why should anyone be asronished that W 1~ GCatitude .o;-;:s, Hao, HawaPi9v7ao.Tdephone: cos 9;q-orrs. all these forces have converged on Hawaii? Fauimilc: 808 9;q-8;zr. E-mail:paccumQ~aloha.nct. WI[h xhe state having pntdendy banned We wish to acknowledge donations from: Anidcs appearing in this iovmal are indexed in rho the development of~nucleaz energy on the Roxie Berlin; Philip Bogeao: Dorothe 1'.nvironmental Periodicals Bibliography. Environment islands, most. of the public is blissfully un- Curtis; Michael Fitzsimons; Claudia Gilles; Hnwai'i is available in microform through Unirersity i\licnrtilms'Alcernarire Press collection(;oo North -lceb aware of the problems associated with the Don and Pam Lichry; Ian Lind and Meda Goad. Ann Arbor. ltithigan gs,oe-.;qv). nuclear industry. And, with public officials Chesney-Lind: Joyce Loo; r.pesraing,ndproduaionbypore:utorPubbshing,ma eager to embrace any idea, however nutty, T.J. Mcriniff: Colbert Matsumoto; Lola Fdnd„g by Dolphin Press of F,una. that holds the remotest prospect of bringing Mench; Paula Merwin; Jeffrey Parker; Diane copyright ~o X997 Environment H.ov:,?~. Inc. economic growth, the state has acquired Shepherd; Wilma Wilkie: Debby Ward; and usN io;o-t_ss an embarrassing reputation as the Chipper Wichman. k~ebruary 1997 ~ Environmenr Hawai i ~ Pace; tction. Thar plan included conducting xicago's O`Haze airport. By November Irradiation meetings with manufacturers of irradiation x994, Wong had invited Jim and Paula from page z instruments, determining potential mazkets, Corrigan, owners of Carrot Top, ro Hawai`i coordinating efforts with federal and private "to meet with growers and to help lay out that it "may be a dollaz value subject co some senor agencies, exploring the "possibihry of a business plan" kr the marketing of irradi- debate.") congressional appropriation," and discussing aced fmit. ` ~X/ith the phase-down ofsugaz and pine- the possibility of devek:nic g irradiation By establishing that a mazket existed for -apple in Hawai`i," Kitagawa wntinued, "an facilities jointly with the Hawaii Sugar irradiazed Hawaiian fruit on the mainland, unprecedented amount of prime agricuhural Planters' Association (whose name has since Wong felt, the stare would be in a better land will become available in Hawaii for been changed co the Hawaii Agricultural position to make the rase for an irradiation diversified agriculture. The local marker for Reseazch Center). facihry co be bulk in Hawaii. newandexoticcropsislimited.Asaresuh,xhe InFebruazyr994,Wongattendedanirra- full potential for diversified agriculture in diacion workshop in Gainesville, Florida, ` Hawaii will depend on the development of sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agri- The president oflsomedix akernativepost-harvesttreatmentsorthesuc- culture. Accompanying Wong were James cessful eradication of Emit flies in Hawai i, Moy of the University of Hawaii College of ,found meetings in Hawai `i which would allow dae umethered expott of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to have been "very helpful fmitsandvegetablesxomainlandandforeign andHarveyChanoftheUSDA'sAgricultutal to our furtherundetstanding markets." Reseazch Service in Hilo. In his summary of While eradication is the "best long-term theworkshop, Wongstaced, "itwasappazent ofthe Hawaiian agricultural solution,° Kitagawa rold Herkes, "for the to the Hawaii delegation that Hawaii economy the status of the near term, an alternative ro eradication is a could play a pivotal role with regazds to tropical fruit industry and poso-harvest treatment with broad applica- - irradiation terhnolog~ development in the the need and desire or a dons to many crops. Irradiation is such a U.S. Discussions with USDA officials and f method." industry representatives (Nordion, V¢rdira- ~ radtdtzon faCtlity foY tor) regazding a possible joint venture effort quarantine control " `It was a anent... on irradiation between the state of Hawaii, PP USDA-ARS, and industry was well received that Hawai `i could play and encouraged." Litnired Entry a pivotal role with regards to The shipments ofuncreated Hawaiian fruit irradiation technolo `~-OurEff°rr xo Chicago began on April 4, 1995. By the Inrhenexxfewmonths, Wongmadecontacc end of x996, nearly nvo dozen shipments deve%pment in the IJ.S. " with irradiation technologycompanies in the had been made. As explained by Wong, xhe -Lyle Wong United States and began discussions with a fruit to be shipped is delivered to a Hono- Chicago-azearetailer, CazrotTop, interested lulu food brokec, Ham Produce & Seafood, in carrying irradiated Hawaiian fruits. As Inc., which arranges for the produce to be For years, treatmenx with the fumigant eazlyasMazchr99q,hehaddrakedascenario sold to one of more distributors on the ethylene dibromide allowed for expott of for a possible joint venture for a commodity mainland. The broker pays the cost of H;nvaiiancrops.WhenuseofEDBwaspro- irradiator. Partnersintheendeavor,estimated shipping, while thedistribucorspaythecost hibited, papaya growers, working with the locosts5million,wererhestateDepartment of Irradiating the fruit (about z5 cents a U.S. Department of Agriculture, developed of Agriculture, the USDA, associations of pound, Wong has said). alternative methods of creating their fruit Hawaii growers, a Canadian manufarnrrer Under terms of the limited USDA per- with vapor heat or hoc water. of cobalt-Go source material, and a private mil allowing the shipments, Wong rold Inr~89,cheUSDAandrheFoodandDrug wmpanywithexperienceinmanagingafood Environmenr Hawaii, it is necessary for Administration approved a treatmenx proto- irradiation facility. someone from Hawaii to accompany the col for papayas involving irradiation of the Under Wong's hypothetical scenazio, the shipments xo ensure that the strict require- fruit. However, xhere was little incenxive For state would pick up 49 percent of the cost, mena of the permit ate carried out. Wong Hawaiian papaya growers and shippers to wichtheUSDAprovidin$35percent.Thetwo has made several trips, as have other state pursue this treatment option. They had in- companieswouldeachcontributea7percent Department of Agriculture employees. vested more than szo million in heat-treat- shaze, while the growers would contribute Other people accompanying the ship- ment sysrems here. Moreover, exports to r-z percent. menns have included members of the state Japan, which represent a substantial fraction Wong also approached the USDA about Exotic Pest Insect Committee. This com- (around z5 percent) of the papaya expott allowing untreared Hawaiian fruits to be mittee, formerly called the Hawaii State market, cannot be irradiazed. shipped to the mainland for treatment at an Fruit Fly Committee, was established ro Aker the letter to Herkes, Wong began ro irradiation facility xhere. Because ofconcerns eradicare fruit flies, bur has recently de- spend more time and effort developing irra- abou[ the spread of fruit Flies inro California voted most of its efforts -and much of its diacion as a means of increasing expotts of and Florida, these states were ruled out as budge[-ropromotingirradiation.Anwng Hawaiian crops. In September grid October porential treatmentsites-even though both [he committee's members are several of the r993, he convened several meetings with rep- have irradiation facilities. Eventually, the growers whose fruit is irradiated and mar- resrnruives of other state agencies, growers, USDA agreed xo permit shipments of fruit ro keted under this program. and researchers, none of whom appears ro an Isomedix, Inc., irradiation facilirv in h:rvcvoicedanyobjeaionstoWong'splanof Morton Grove, Illinois, nor far from See"lrrndinrinu';~,,,5,..; Page p ~ Environment Hawai i i February ~qq~ Wong for arranging the meedngs> which; -"'"Gm, the Honolulu councilwoman repre- . jYrRC~1lItE072 "wereveryhelpfiiltoourfiurlterundersrand- ,encingKapalama,hadagreedtopaniupate, frmn page 3 ing of the Hawaiian agriculnrral economy, although Ikeda later bowed out. Kim ended the status of the tropical fruit industry, and up the only elected official going on the trip ~ ~ the need and desire for a radiation facility for ro Chicago, with her way paid by the state quarantine control... Exotic Pesc Insect Committee. Ocher, travel- The Curtain Rises "The several ocher issues we discussed ing in party were Okudaza and JVendy whiclineedfirrrherimmediateattentionwere: Sanemitsu, born with the Exotic Pest Insect While Wong was overseeing shipments to "a. How do we organize the growers to Committee;LetitiaUyehara,depurydirector Chicago, he was simultaneously attempting enstuethatsufBcientquantitiesoftopq»aliry ofdrestateDepartmentofAgriculture;Sam to lay the groundwork for constnrction of an papaya are sent for the radiation quarantine Hugh of Ham Produce, the Honolulu food irradiation facility in Hawaii. Less than a treatment on a wnsistenc basis.., broker, and Mike Strong, the grower from month afrec the shipments began, George "b.Howcanwe,orrhestareortheAitpott Kauai. Died, senior vice president of Isomedix, Authority, solve the need for a refrigerated Kim's trip, compliments of the stare, was seemed to believewnscmctionofanirradia- sroragecapaciry? nottheonlyeffotttowinpoliticalsuppottfor for in Hawaii was a foregone conclusion. In "c The Bishop `Gem' property locadon irradiation. As eazly as Mazch x994, Wong aletterdatedMay3r,t99S,Die¢wroteWong and proposed equity position presened by was talking with Chauncey Ching of the and Michael Strong: "Ac this point we can Jon[Okudara,oftheExoticPescInseccCom- Washingon staffofSenatorDaniel Inouye. probably agree that: mittee] would appeaz, in principle, to be In a letter ro Ching dated Mazch r4, Wong "a. Radiation is the technically preferred promised to keep Ching "apprised of our quarantine treatment for tropical fruits. `talks' on irradiation... The most attractive "b. Radiation appears to be ewnomically Several boxes ofpapaya and lychee planappearstobeajoincvenmrewichUSDA- competitive with sttff~cient volume through- wem sent to Palsy Mink's office. ARS [Agricultural Research Service] for a put. All of it arrived cooked and in pilot irradiazor on O`ahu." Wong closed by ` c The lead-time for installation of an + promising ro stop by for a visit when he was irradiator once all permits aze issued is about pretty bad condition. " in Washington the next week, "time permit- ro-rznvonths." ling " Die¢ went on to suggest setting up a A yeaz lacer, just before the second ship- conference call with Wong and Strong ro acceptable. Jon indicated that he would fol- ment of fruit to Chicago was made, Wong, discuss the vagaries of mazkedng the irradi- low up on his attempts to identify a potential Strong, and Weiuen mecwich scaffofRepre- aced produce. "Obviously, there must be a investor who might be interested in funding sentarive Patsy Mink in Washington. In a mazkec for the irradiated product before we the radiation shield. follow-up letter co James Nakacani, director forgeaheadwirhanirradiator,"heconcluded. "As indicated at the meeting, Isomedix ofthesrareDepattmencofAgticulmre,Mink Within a couple of weeks, Wong and would be prepazed to provide the irradiator, said she was "pleased with the results of This others had arranged a roar of the islands for source mechanism, and the Co-Go source." meeting" and the work of the "tropical fruit Diea, his boss, John Masefield, president of By October x995. Isotnedix was stillwait- working group," which, Mink noted, was Isomedix, and Jim Corrigan of Carrot Top ing for a response. On October zo, Die¢ "developing procedures co allow small ship- (alongwich theirspouses). On July6, inHilo, wrote Wong, indicating he was still waiting menu of tropical fruit out of Hawaii for They met with about 3o growers, packers, and for Okudara ro send him land rental rates for irradiation treatment and maz~lcecing on the govemmenc agency representatives (indud- a site in Kapalama. "Jon," Die¢ condntted, mainland. I believe that dris bodes well for ing one USDAofficialfromBeltsville,Mazy- "also said he submitted a proposal to the c~urentandfunuediversifirationinHawai is land). Bishop Estate trustees regarding Their `Gem' agriculture industries." The following day, Wong had Macefield, property location and possible interest in an (Several boxes of papaya and lychee were Died, and Corrigan meet in Honolulu with equity position in the irradiator. No response sent co Mink's office from chat second ship- otherparties interested in pursuing develop- yet from Jon." menc. According ro Wong, all of it "arrived ment of such a facility. In addition to "Therewas a possibleinreresc in parcidpa- cooked and in pretty bad wndition.") Masefield, Die¢, Comgan, and Wong, at- cion by Hawaiian Electric," Die¢ went on to In June, Wong drafted a letter sent out by tending this "conscmction costs meeting" say. "Anything further?" (In fact, nothing Nakatani to Senators Inouye and Daniel were representatives from the state Depart- furcherabotitpossibleparticipationbyBishop Akaka. Nakarani informed the senazors of menc of Transportation (including its Air- EsrateorHawaiianElectticappearsinWong's plansforcheJuner4shipmentofpapayaand ports Division), the Bank of Hawaii, and an files.) lychee, which would be accompanied by two engineering firm. University of Hawaii researchers, a USDA Political Pul( official from Hilo, Strong, Hugh, and Wong. Finding a Sire In that same memo, Dietz went on co men- In response, Mazk Fox, legislative assistant Apattfromthesign-insheec,noofficialtewrd tionthatOkudata"wastryingtosetupavisit coInouye,wroteNakatani,mentioningthac appears to have been made of that meeting. byseveralofyoureleccedrepresenratives,plus the senaror's office had "been staying in Still, Erom later correspondence, it seems as representatives of the Kapalama area." contact with Dr. Lyle Wong and Mr. Mike though various people in attendance were co By eazly November, the trip involving Strong, and the Senator was pleased to learn follow up with inquiries wncerning possible elected officials had been arranged to accom- of the additional shipments... Please con- sitesandotherquestionsrelatingrofinancing. panytheNovemberrsshipment.BothDonna time to keep Senator Inouye apprised of [n a letter co Wong dated July t8, r999, Ikeda, then chairwoman of the state Senate further developments, and do not hesitare to Masefield,thepresidenrof7somedix,thanked Ways and Means Committee, and Donna ,See "tnadiation'; pages rcnruaty t997 t knvironment Hawa7i ~ Page 5 ---oftheoveralldevelopmentofdivetsifiedHa- r prospect of having Hawaiian fruit be ~jry-gdjat jpy~ raiianagriculture. As forponaldIau,wewill ...adiated in a prototype Gray*Scar facility. from page ¢ besendinghimaquesdonnaireandwillwoik A reseazch agreement chat Gray*Sxaz was wirhhiminthedevelopmentofanirradiation negotiatingwichcheUSDA,Mazulliwroce, contact his office if we can be of any assis- program for his products.° "allows us to conduct, on a limited basis, Lance." In June x996, Wong learned that Wash- the irradiation of research samples pro- From x994 rothe pre=ens, intact, Fox and ington scare had rejected a tentative proposal vided by potential industrial customers. I Ching, now a priva~r consultant, appeaz to from Hawaii to ship Hawaiian fruits ro believe, but I can't promise, that we may be have beenworkingcloselywithWongonthe Hanford, Washington, forirradiadonrkrere. able to set up a program for next year's irradiation facility issue. In September x995, In a memo to Marulli of June z6, whose shipping season where the bulk of your for example, Ching drafred a letter, for subject was "Why we need a Gray*Star," shipments could be done in the prototype Inouye's signature, co the administrator of Wong informed Marulli of this decision: faciliryatnoorminimalcostxothegrowers. the USDA'sAnimalandPlantHealthInspec- "Bad news: Washington State won't allow Wecouldalsoworkwithyourgrouptofind Lion Service (APHIS), urging APHIS to exile- untreated Hawaii papaya into the Hanford new outlets For irradiated Hawaiian prod- dice the Wile-making process for a so-called area fearing the fruit could be a source of acts in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey/New "generic" irradiation process for any and all medflies... Good news: Affimtative answer to York azea. Two more potential reasons to fruits suspected of being host co the varieties question, does Hawaii need an irradiator?" get that Preliminary Purchase Agreement of fruit flies found in Hawaii. Two months signed as soon as possible." lacer, Ching suggested that Wong attempt to obtain USDAmatchingfunds forthe mazkec- "We may be able to set up Approval ing of irradiated fruit. a program for nextyears On November r, Wong sent a memo to ~ S ~ shipping season where the bulk Nakatani, recommending he sign that "pre- liminary purrl+a cPagreemen~." Nakataniwas • afyour shipments could be done cold that commercial units would not be Stepped-Up Action in the prototype facility at no or ,available until all testing was completed, minimal cast to thegrowers. 'which would take at least two years. Still, r996wasayeazinwhichWongredoubledhis Wong wrote, "Hawai`i has an option to ahead considerable efforts to brin an irra- ~ could also work with Y g reserve the seventh Gray`Srar co go into diacion plant to Hawaii. Shipments of fruit yourgroup to find nett! outlets production. Given Hawai`i's need fora com- to Chicago increased, as did the state's efforts for irradiated Hawaiian products m~4' tteattrtenc facility, Hawaii should co find new distribution and retail outlets for exercise this option." in the Penrtsylvania/NewJersey/ the produce. Buc probably the most signifi- One week later, Wong fotwazded co cant development was the state s signing an New York area. " Nakatarti three espies of the agreement for agreementwithGra}~`Staz,Inc.,developerof -AILI'larttlli, Gray*,$tarsales rep Nakarani's signature. In a covering memo, a new cesium-based irradiation technology, Wong stated that Gray*Star is "one option that gives the state the right offitst refusal for for Hawaii. Alrematives are being explored, purchase of the seventh Gray*Staz irradiator Two days lacer, Wong provided Jon including an X-ray unit recently tested by to be built OkudaraofcheExoricPescInsectCommittee Isomedix in Florida, a superconducting lin- The agreement was signed by the state a list of reasons for "reserving a unit" for eaz accelerator under development in Texas, direcror of the Deparzmenc of Agriculture, Ha•,vai is In a memo to Okudara dated June and cobalt-6o. Hawai`i should be in a posi- Nakacani, on November t5, x996. The sign- z8, Wong mentioned that Gray*Srar "will Lion to decide on a suitable unit in approxi- ing was the culmination of nearly a year's waivethesro,ooodeposit"itnormallywould matelynvoyears." worth of effort by Alberz Marulli, a former require of anyone wanting co hold a spot in USDA-APHIS employee who also is a con- the line. $ $ $ suhanc to the produce industry and sales "Gray*Scaz has an agreement with a com- agentfor Gray'"Staz. pany in Cincinnati to fabricate the first unit Meanwhile, in I h10... After corresponding with Wong, Manilli and this will srarz in a few weeks after the visited Hawaii in May x996, where he met completion of a drop test of a scale model," In r99z, Senator Inouye placed in the federal with growersanddistriburors.Inafollow-up Wongwrote."Once completed andthefind- Department of Defense appropriation for letter to Wong on May 30, Maru(li men- ings ate a go for commercal producxion, the 1993 fiscal yeaz more than s9oo,o0o that tinned that hewas especiallyglad to have met getting a unit will likely be impossible for was to be spent in Hawai i in support of with Peter Houle of Hawaiian Produce and years ro come as the Gray*Staroffers a design efforts to rejuvenate Hawai`i's flagging agti- Processing, on the Big Island, and Donald that is more economical than a ctaditional cultural industry, especially along the Big Lau of Palama Meat Co., Inc., on Oahu. wbalt unit or a machine source. Cottse- Island's Hamakua Coast. Among [he restric- "Perer Houle has already called our head- quendy, if the design proves to be a winner, bons on useof funds is that they not be spent quarzers office in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, customers are sure to line up for units faster in support of experimental or research and expressed an interest in reserving a than we can get on the list in a traditional projects. Decisions on how to distribute the Gray"Star unit for use on the Big Island," fashion...Soi~ sbestthatwetakeadvancageof money were to be made by the board of a Marulli wrote. "However, we are delaying the Gray"Scar offer and get on the list. Taz- group called the Department of Defense atw commitments to individual companies geted cost, less than sz million (acnrally, Oversight Committee, whose members are in Hawai' i until,vour state agency has had an about sr.3 million)." selected by Inouye. uppormnin'toreviewthesituarioninterms InJuly,MarulliwasholdingouttoWong See"l,rndiarlon':pngeG Page 6 ~ Environment Hawai i ~ February t9g7 - Some Pros and Cons c . _ ood Irradiation '"''S"~ ysis or because negative daugg~ eerde sre clod. One of the two also s r that irradiated food could have adverse effects on older animals. In a rhirdFDA-cited study, Is irradiation safe? Proponents insist is is; izarion, freezing, and other forms of food animals fed a diet of irradiated food experi- opponenrs azgue it is not. Here is a summary preparation... All reliable scientific evidence, enced weight loss and miscarriage."' ofcheposirionsofproponenrsandopponenrs based on animal feedingcestsandconsump- RichazdPiccioni,Ph.D.,seniorstaffscien- on safety and other issues related to irradia- rion by human volunteers, indicates chat tilt at Accord Reseazch and Educational Ac- tion. theseproductsposenouniqueriskrohuman sociates, Inc., has noted: "Without coxiw- beings."' to ]cal cestin at exa orated doses, the Unique Radiolytic Products S g gg One study in India concluded that there rxrcinogenictiskroIarge human populations Background.Irradiatedfoodscontaincettain wasgreadyincreasedincidenceofpolyploidy, ingestinganyadditiveorresidueisimpossible compounds that aze formed when the food is or chromosomal damage, in a group of chit- to assess." Contrary m proponents' claims subjected to high-energy ionizing radiation, dren fed irradiared wheat as wmpazed to a chat URPs, if they exist, aze safe, Piccioni such as gamma rays or X-rays. The FDA has control group. Suppotters of irradiation, writes: "the available scientific literature pro- estimatedthattheconcentrationofradiolycic however,challengethisstudy'sresuhsasnon- videsevidencecomakeastrongpresumption products formed in food treated at a dose of reproducible. ofcarcinogeniclry income ifnotall irradiated tkilograyisontheorderof3partspermillion. ~ foods."~ Opponents. Such scientific studies that have Public Citizen's Health Research Grou Proponents Arty food undergoes changes been done to date do noxsuppottthesaferyof P when it is treated, whether that treatment food irradiation, critics say. In fact, the FDA's nored in r986 that the FDA's review of scien- involves boiling, baking, or irradiating. Ac- own sracement on irradiation acknowledges uficliteraturedidnotincludeonecarriedout cording, to information prepared by the that "currentsrateof-the-attcoxicirytescsaze under auspices of the USDA: "This study, Atomic Industrial Forum(agroupthatfavors 'not sensitive enough to detect the potential ~'hichwasactuaflyrzdifferentstudies,exam- nucleazenergy),onestudy ofradiolvticprod- mxiciryofURPsat...lowlevels."]Ofthegq[ medtheeffectoffeedingirrad:aredchickento ucts in highly irradiated meat "concluded studies that had been done on the subject at a several animalspecies.Oneofchese rz studies that There aze actually no such things as the time ofthe FDA's review, all but fivewere found that frwc flies fed irradiated chicken unique radiolytic products (or URPs):'' judged by the review team to be "itradequate had a statistically significant dose-related in- The American Dietetic Association posi- ro evaluate the safety of irradiated food."+ Of rsease m the rate of death of their offspring Lion paper on irradiated foods stares: "[F]ree chose five, the NewJerseySchool ofMedicine COmpazed with flies who were not Fed irradi- radicalsandothercompoundsproduceddur- Depattment of Preventive Mediune and atedchicken:' ing irradiation are identical to those formed Community Health determined two "to be Mother study cited by Public Citizen during cooking, steaming, roasting, Pasteur- methodologically flawed, either by poor sra- found chat"mice fed irradiated chicken had a See "Safest''; page 7 ' Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc.. "20 Questions: An ~"Posi[ion of the American Diearic Association: Food sDonald B. Louria, "lapping the Food Supply," The IntroductionroFood Irradiation."Sep[ember l9$6. Irradia[ion,"faurnaloftHeAmerirau DietetirAuaiariou, gu/lrtia afthrAtomirSdratrsr,Sepremberl990.pp.34- 96:] Qanuary 199G). 70. One of the "distinguuhed uientisrs" who reviewed the ~ 35. Louru is chairman of the Department of preventive AIF document is George Giddings, who. in 1986. was `Fedora[ Reglrtrr, April 18. 1986, p. 13378. Medicine at the New Jersry Medical School. direcror of food irradiation services ac the Isomedix "Leiter of Marcia van Gernert, Ph.D.. the toxicologist ° Richard Piccioni, "Analyses of Data on the Impact of plant in Whippany, N.J., and who had done work who was chairperson of the FDA review commicree in Food processing by ]onivng Radiation on Health and earlier ar Michigan State University "under a contract 1982, m New Jersey Assemblyman John Kelley. Otto- the Environment," Imrrnationa/ fourna[ofBiom.ia( with the Aromic Energy Commission" bet 19, 1993. Rettarrh, Volume 9 (1987), 203-212. H with the idea that some of its funds could "Hawai`i Island High Tech Strategic Plan." Irradiation be spent in support of irradiacion. After Languagesuppottiveofirradiacionappeatsin frompage S receivingRETA-H fundingguidelines,Wong both the draft plan, released in December forwarded it ro University of Hawaii re- r996,andthefinalplan,releasedonJanuaryz, Inlateryears,theappropriarionsincreased, searchers Jim Moy and Robett Paull, along 1997. and for the last two years, they have been withOkudaraoftheExoticPestInseccCom- runningaround ssmillion a year. Sometime mittee. "The deal buster appears to be'non- The Ma} or's Position around t99q, the name of the Oversight research,"'Wongwroteinanaccomparrving On January 7, r997, Environment Hawaii Committee was changed co Rural Economic memo."but,"headded,"I'msure we can get wasroldbyMayorYamashirothathisdeci- Transition Assistance-Hawaii, although its around thisaslinlenewinformationisneeded siontopromoreirradiazionhadnothingrodo makeup and membership selection process ro develop the technology for Hawai`i." with the HIEDB. Rather, he said, "itcame out stayed the same. No money was appropriated by RETA-H as a result ofa visit From the deputy secretary RETA-H has a contract with the private for irradiation, but the inquiry, as well as the ofAgriculmre sometime before the 1996 elec- Hawai i Island Economic Development meeting a month earlier in Hilo with repro- tion." The of$cial, whose name Yamashiro Board to provide staff support. In this war, sentatives of Isomedix and Carrot Top, tip- did not recall, encouraged him to take advan- Paula Helfrich, who sen~es HIEDB as its pears ro have sparked a renewed interest in rage of so-called generic rules about to be executivedirector.alsoendsupsen~ingsstaff irradiation on the parr oFHawai`i County madetinalforirradiationoffruitflies,Yama- ro R4fhA-H. and the HIEDB. Throughout 1996; HIEDB Shiro said. The rules will ;illow any produce ht Augusn995,Won~appnxtchedRElA- worked with fourwnsuhanainpreparinga See '~hvndintrar:paer? ' February 1997 ~ Environment HawaFi ~ Page 7 Still, there aze some who insist irradiazion Proponents. Fruits attar have been irradiated Safely has no impact or, indeed, may have a positive look bever and have a longer shelf life than from page 6 one on the nutritional wntenc of food. The untreated fruits or fruits that aze treaxed by mostexvemestatemenxofthisviewisrnadeby othermeans.Irradiation "will extendshelflife gre~terincidenceofkidneydiseasethanmice aheA:omicIndusvialForum "In virtually all for most foods at competitive costs."'~ An Fed :anirradiated chicken."' Other published cases, food preserved wit. *ae.iacion is nutri- article in Food Technologydaimsitradiation studies cited by Public Citizen found kidney tionallyequalorsuperiortothosepreservedby "extends shelf life of the fruit by delaying damage and xesticular damage in rats fed other comparable means. Proteins and essen- maturation and inhibitingmold growth on irradiated chicken. cialaminoacidsazenotdesvoyedand,income the fruit"" Diminished Nutrients cases, more vitamins aze retained."'° Opponents. Claims of increased shelf life aze Background. Irradiation has been shown to Opponents. "Irradiation reduces levels of notprovenforHawaiianproduce.LyleWong reduce the vitamin convent of food. essential nutrients in food, especiallyvicamins ofthesxace DepaamencofAgriculmre, one of A, C, E, and the B complex. Cooking irradi- irradiation's chief proponents, has said: "I'm Proponents. The International Consultative ared Food reduces these levek still further. The not sure if irradiation as a commodity treao- Group on Food Irradiation says, "Just as industry reluctancy admits this but suggests mem will give rise co a bever product"" vitammsvaryintheirsensitivirytoheat,sodo that the problem mould be taken care of by Irradiarioncancausefruitcobewmescalded they vary in their sensitivity to radiation.... vitamin supplements!" write Michael Colby, and unsuitable for mazketing. Indeed, the Vitamins A, E, G K, and B-r (thiamine) in director oFFood & Water, Inc., anon-profix scare Department ofAgriculmre has paid to foods are relalive]ysensitiverotadiation,while organization established to protect food cover thes7oocostofirradiatngashipmenx some other B vitamins such as riboflavin, safety, and Samuel S. Epstein, a professor of inr995wherexheftuixwasofsuchpoorqualiry niacin,andvitaminDazemuchmoresrable."" occupational and environmental medicine ax that the wholesaler would not accept it's "the American Dietetic Associaxion says, the University of Illinois Medical Center- "The relative sensitivity of different vitamins Chicago." : Econottuts to irradiation depends on the food source, The extent of nutritional loss vazies with' Background. The chief-and>sofaz,only- andthecombinationofirradiationand cook- the type of food and the radiation dose, reason cited forsupponingconstmctionofan ing is not considered ro produce losses of writes Susan Meeker-Lowry. "Generally, the irradiation faclliry in Hawaii is xo increase the notable concern." In an}' case, steps can be more complex the food, the less it suffers. volume of fruit exported to the mainland taken to minimize nutritional losses in the Still, a zo percent to So percent loss is United States. irradiation process, including "irradiating not uncommon."" See "Safety'; page 8 food in an oxygen-free environment or in a frozen state.'' (Neither of these proffered ProdtrctQualtxy mitigating techniques has been put into rou- Background. Treacmene by irradiation ~S~n Meeker-Lowry, "From Imdiation to Electronic Pasteuriradon: Industry Solutiow ro Unsafe Food," Z tine pracxice at any irradiation facility in the does not visibly harm the fruit, as, say, treat- Magazine May 1996, p. 37. world.) menc by hot-water does. ' `AIF. "20 Questions," op.nr. I'uhlic Citizen Health Research Group. "The Other "Donald E. Pszoola. "irradiated Produce Reaches tii~ie oFthe Food Irradiation 5ron•" (Washington, D.C., "American Dietetic Association, opsia, p. 70. Midwest Market." Foad Terhnalogy(May 1992), p. 90. ! `1461, p. 4. i'he paper cites studies conduced by "'AIF, "20 Questions," p. 5. "Statement made at a meeting of the state Agribusiness RaL am Purina Co. for the L'SDA. "Colby and F.psmin, "Risks oFradiation: Too many Development Corporation, September 8, 1995. ' ICGFI Fact Series No. 5, published by the Interns- questions about food safety." USA Today., January 22, "'See Wong's statement ar the ADC meeting oFSep- tional Ammic Energy Agenry (Vienna, 1995). 1992. tember 8, 1995. Development staff xo come up with projec- endured bever mold to carry signs protesting Irradiation tionsasrothevolumeofcropneededtomake Hawai`i's announced inxention to build an from Page 6 an irradiation facility economically feasible. irradiation facility. Nothing was available for disclosure to Envi- Less than a week later, Governor Ben that is thought ro host fruit flies to be irradi- ronmenr Hawaii by press time. Cayetano delivered his stare of the state ad- ated at a minimum dose of z5o grays. Past dress to the Legislature. In the listofactivities ruleshavebeencommodimspecific-tharis, LareDeve%pmenrs he proposed under the heading;"Encourag- thcy have set irradiation doses for individual On January r6, HIEDB sponsored a commu- ing economic diversification," appears the types of fruit or food (e.g., papayas). pity forum on irradiation. In an announce- following statement: "To help our farmers When askedaboucan}'economicfeasibil- mentoftheeventHIF.DBaskedthaxthosein expos their products ro the mainland and iw analysis, Yamashiro said one had been attendance keep an "open mind." without foreign countries, the state and the county of done, but whenEnvironmenrHawai'iasked mentioningHlF.D6'searlierendorsementof Hawaii will work rogether to build [and to see it, he said it was not complete. He was irradiation. Nor was H[EDB's position on irradiation facilin~ in Hilo." Joint;ithimself,hesaid.alongwittistafffrom irradiation make clear at the forum. Of the On January z7 and z9, the House and the Planning Department Public Works five invited panelisa,jusrone-KathyDorn Senate, respectively gave firsthearim+urbills I)cpartment and the county Department of -was opposed to the idea. callingforconstruction ofa "sari" irradiation Research and Development. That same clay, Mayor Yamashiro met facility. \ccording to Paula Helfrich. H[EDB is with ofFcen of Isomedix in New Jersey. ti~orking closely wide cotmrv Research and Outsidethe lsomedix facility,about Go people Page K ~ Environment Hawai i ~ Pebruarv X99- ~,I Cast-BertefitAnalysis the most fundamental human rights to im- `S"JGD.Y Background. The drawbacks of an irradia- Pose risks (deaths) upon individuals without from page 7 rion facility may be outweighed by the ben- rhea consent. Human rights should not be efirs sacrificedtothepursuitof`ahealthyewnomy,' Proponents. Exports having a potential value afrluence, progress, science or any of net goal. ofasmuchass3oomillionayeazazebeinglost Proponents The economic boon that irta- The whole `benefits versus risk' doctrine is a to Hawai`ibecauseoftheU.S.Depattmencof diction will provide in Hawaii more that profound violation of human rights" Agriculture's fruio-fly quarantine on ship- overcomes any perceived drawbacks. One Finally,thereisthematterofriskavoidance menu of Hawaii produce co the U.S. main- University of Hawaii professor of Food Sci- altogether. "No risk is acceptable if is is avoid- land. With the USDA ready to approve a enceandHumanNutritionhacwritcen,"The able.... However, when people aze merely generic irradiation dose for all fruits chat aze issuehere, ofcourse, is riskversus benefix. The doing a risk assessment, this principle cannot host co fmit flies, the way is cleaz to tapping risks aze ielared to the dangers to the environ- wme into play."" In the case ofa fruit ittadia- this market. menc and the workers as well as to the rion facility, any "wst-benefie" or "risk-ben- In addition, test mazketing of Hawaiian dangers of the irradiated foods to the con- efifi assessment must include a discussion of Emit irradiated in Chicago has been hugely sumers. The benefits aze the economic gains ways ro avoid the risk altogether, including successful, showing widespread consumer to Hawai`i's agricukure from the national altemarive treatment methods and the pros- acceptance of irradiated fruit. mazketing of Hawaii-grown exotic fruits... pea of developing avalue-added processed Opponents. Even the state Department of "There aze always nsks when handling, food industry (which has the benefit of in- Agriculture has acknowledged that the s3oo scoring, or using radioactive materials. How- ceasing the number of jobs). million figure for exports is subject co de- eve, there can also be great risks in handling Govemment Subsidy bate.'r No economic analysis has been pro- dynamite, gasoline, or even fire. Yec how duced to suppott this or any other figure. many of us dally drive in cars (potential Backgrouund. Both the crate government and In any event, jrradiation is not the only bombs), cookovergasflamesorcampfires, or the govemment of Hawaii County aze pro- way to exploit mazkets abroad. The same fight cigarettes with matches (all potential posing to spend public money on constmc- kind of heat veatmentthat makes exports of torches). rion of a fruit irradiation facility. papaya acceptable in mainland mazkers will Opponents. With no analysis of economic Proponents. The spending of public money soon be available co lychee. Growers of benefie having been made public and de- on a project that will directly benefit private carambola can have access mainland mazkets fended, anydiscussioh ofthe economic boon growers, and only indirectly benefit the pub- throughuse of scold creatmentapproved by of an irradiator is premature, to say the least. lit, is just patt of government's role. The the USDA. Canadian mazkecs are another Moreover, in the discussionofrisksversus govemmenthasaresponsibiliryroseethanhe potential outlet for untreated or unirradiaced benefits, it is important co beaz in mind chat economy prospers. fruit,sinceCanadahasnoquarannneagainst peoplewhomaynotbenefitatallwillbeazat OpponenrsIfirradiacionisaproventechnol- fruit flies similaz to that which exists on the least pare ofthe riskimposedby an ittadiation ogy (as proponents claim) and the mazkec for mainland. facility. The fewemployeeswho mayworkat irradiated fruit is solid (as proponents claim), State officials have themselves expressed an irradiation facility may be willing to toter- there should be no impediment to the private concemchacwidespreadirtadirionofHawai- ate the radiation exposure in recum fora sectorraisingthecapitalneededforanirradia- ian fruit might allow growers in vopitxl wage, but in so doing, theywill incrementally lion facility, either by putting up the money countries ro avail themselves of dte same increase their own risks of cancer. In addi- themselves, by attracting equity investors, or technology, thus eliminating any edge that rion, they will increase the risk that their by borrowing the funds. Indeed, this is what irradiation might provide ro Hawaian fruit offspring will be bom with genetic damage. (especially wnsidering the additional ship- These eventualities entail public costs. No caPrrahsm is all about. menc costs of sending fruit from Hawaii as matter howsafethedevelopers ofany irradia- In any event, the fruit industry has already opposed co Mexico or the Caribbean). "The rion facilirydaim it ro be, there is no question received substantial government assistance. establishment ofpost-harvest treatment pro- but that its very presence does impose an The state and federal governments have rowls and itradiationwill allowthe shipment incremental risk to the public ac large. spent millions of dollars on reseazch into pest of Hawaii fruits and vegetables, but other HereiswhatJohnGofman,M.D.,Ph.D., wntrol,disease,andothercypesofgtrarantine countries will eventually ask ro have those has to say on the subject. (Gofinan is proles- treatments for Hawaii products. At some veatmem protocols allowed for their fruits soremeritusofinedicalphysicsattheUniver- PO1nt,thesubsidiesshouldend. and vegetables."'a city of California, Berkeley, and one of the Environmenal Safety: Cobalt-6o Finally, it is not cleaz that there will be leading experts on the health effects of radia- Background. Irradiating food requires the use strong mazkecs for irradiated produce. Food rion). "First, it is suenrifica//yreasonable that of ahigh-powered source for the ionizing & Water, a mainland organization, has orga- the dose-effect relationship between radia- radiation, which is usually Cobalt-6o. nized customer protesu ro srores carrying rion and cancer is Gneaz, and that there is no irradiaredfmit>resultinginadeastonesuper- threshold dose... Second, it is a violation of Proponents. The technology chat has been market chain refusing co stock irradiated developed for using cobalt-Go as a source for Hawaiian produce anymore. "'Dian Althea Gan:, letter of December zz,1995. gamma radiation is well established and safe. °o Scientists are in general agreement that there is no The American Dietetic Association, for ex- radiation dose that is so small is does nor pose a danger $ee "Safety'; page 9 '-Leger of DOA Director Yukio Kitagawa to Rep. ro any living organism chat is exposed to i[. Gamma ays Robert Herkes, February 2, 1993. and X-nys penecmre skin easily. When [hty encounter '"Fsotic Pest Insect Commiaee Budget Proposal for the living cells thry can damage chromosomes, which can Gofman, Radiadoa acrd Publk Xea(rh (San Francisco, Fiscal Biennium 1995-1997. Lead to abnormal cell reproduction, including cancer. 1981), p. 415. _._l.___...__ _ _ February t997 ~ Environment Hawai i ~ Page g . - ' r" - " cesium irradiator wnsidered by the state will Proponents. Cobalt-6o is not radioactive not keep cesium in water ac all. waste, they say, nor does is generate any. It is from page 8 Opponents. Cesium-z37 is one of the most deliberately manufactured (by a Canadian dangerous radioacriveby-products ofnudeaz Nordion) for use in gamma irradiators, ample, states: "Stdtt regulations govern xhe weapons production. Because cesium chlo- 'nduding chose used in hospitals as well as macePal.Irradiacito+tfaci~iesarefcon c ~ d rideiswater-soluble,whenixentersthebody, pacneiatnulareacundiation~faciliu~tberauseno ro withstand eaa 5quakes and other natural 'c is dlstdbuced to all the cells of the body, - radioactivity is produced.... At gamma irra- disasxers without endangering the commu- tteanng `vhac Is tailed a whole-body dose. diarors, radionuclide sources, typically co- niryorworkers.Radioactivematerialistrans- ~t°daunsrhacnoradiarioncanescape bait-6oormorerazelycesium-r37,azeusedas ported in canisters tested to withstand colli- d"~ wnrainment structures, the history of the sources of radiation energy. These ele- sions, fires, and pressure. Worker safety is nucleaz maxerials is rife with examples that is menrs decay over time xo non-radioactive regulazly does just that. A x988 accident at protected by a multifaceted protection sys- Radiation Sterilizers, Inc., in Decatur, Geor- nickel and non-radioactive barium, tespec- temwirhintheplant.° gia,broughtahaltrotheuseofCesium-r37in nvely. The sources are removed from the Opponen~.Thehistoryofaccidentsatirra- Irradiation facilides. That occurred when 'Radtat°rwhentheradioactiviryfallstoalow diacion facilities belies claims of their safety. "supposedly `fail-proof cesium-z37 tapsliles level, usually between 6 percent and zz per- Among rheexamples ofcontaminarionfrom leaked into the water storage pool. Officials o°rrt ofrhe initiallevei (this takes z6 ro zr years irradiators is one right here in Hawaii. In found 'extensive' radiation wntamination for ~balo-6o). The elements are then re- r967, ax a demonstration irradiator at Port throughout the facility. In addition, inspec- n'~'~'nashippingwntainertorhesupplier Armstrong, Oahu, a shipment of wbalt-Go dons of plantworkers' homes and cars found who has the option of reactivating them in a "pencils" corroded xhrough their wntainer, that tadioacdviry had been transported out- nucleaz reactor or storing them. Canada has resulting in xhe leak of radiation from the. sidethefaciliry. Clean-upcostsexceededs47 ~~xedthatallrhecobalc-6oitsuppliedfor shipping cask into the water srorage pool mIDion.'+ use in 2988 (about loo million curies) would Orherexamplesofunsaft:practicesatirra- Constant bombazdment by high-radix-, require a storage space of about r.zs cubic diacors include inadents at the Isomedix tionenergy,suchaswouldoccurinacesium= metres,roug~tlyegwvalenttothespaceoccu- facility inNew Jersey, which was determined r37 irradiaxor, eventually causes the strength Pied by a small desk."'~ The use ofcesium-x37 won't create radio- by the Nucteaz Regularory Commission co of surrounding metal to diminish and the active waste. Tt will actually reduce ic, since have flushed radioactivelycontaminaxedwa- metal to became embtittled. This has cesium-r37 which is nowconsideredawaste, xer into city sewers in r974. Another New curredinmanynucleazreattorsvesselsandin K,ouldbeconvercedincoausefulcommodiry. Jerseyirndiator,RadiationTechnology,Inc., casks scoring high-level nudeaz waste (and Here is what one investor in the Gray'Star lost is NRC license in z986 for repeated cesium-r37isclassifiedasahigh-levelnucleaz company, which is proposing to build ce- worker safety violations. "RTI was cited 3z waste): t slum-r37 irradiators, says: `They [Gray*Starl timesforvatiousviolations,includirlgdrrow- Cesium-r37isstoredintapsulesdlatazezr are ro s ro` tivatize'allofthecesiumac ing radioactive garbage out with the regulaz inches long, z.6 inches in diameter, and P P° ~ P trash.Themostseriousviolacionwasbypass- which weigh io pounds apiece. A r6-con Hanfordand5avannahRiver[twoofrheU.S. ing a safety device to prevent people from stainless steel taskcarried on acus~om-made Department of Energy nucleaz facilities] as a entering the irradiadonchamber during op- trailer bed was needed to transport just z6 One of several scenazios is that the eration,resultinginaworkerreceivinganeaz cesium capsules when rile Deparvnent of g°veminent(DOE)payrhem,ortheirassoci- lethaldoseofradiation."Atldlese accidents EnergyretalledcesiumtapsulesfromaColo- azed matlufac[urer> an appropriate sum of occurredatirradiationfacilitiesusingCobalo- radoirradiacorinr99426 moneytorakeridetorhecesium,andremove Go. it from govertunentsites.Ineffecr, thiswould Radioactive Waste remove the material from the government's E¢vlrorrmemal Safety: Cesrum tg7 Background. One of the unresolved issues in ledger' and eventually eliminate the cost and Bat/cground.ThestateofHawai`ihassigned any discussion ofindusrrybasedonnudear "skofmaintainingtheisotopes....Ultimately, an agreement chat gives is right of first refusal sources is waste. There is no permanent re- d'e ride will be transferred co licensed users to purchase the seventh unit to be built of a pository for high-level waste in the United wrrhm the food industry much in the same new cesium-z37-sourced irradiator. States. ~Y drat cobalt-6o~is now transferred in normal commerce. Proponents. There aze many advantages to usingcesium-r37 as asourceof ionizing radix- Opponents. Since the production of cobalo- cion. Cesium-r37 isabundant as abyproduct ='Gofman, op.t,<. p. 5 t. 6o does require the use of nudeaz reactors, one cannot truthfully say that is production of the nuclear weapons manufatturing in- "Quotes are From Meeker-I.owty, op.nt, pp. 37-38. does not generate radioactive waste. All reac- duscry. In contrast xo cobalt-6o's half-life of ThrAtGmmJourrd/Ai/anw Caraaar;nn repotted the tors Hecate hi level nudeaz waste, For about five years, cesium-r37 has ahalf--life of 34.7 million clean-up costs paid for by th< Fcderat ~ more than 3o years, meaning the radioactive §°YftnmG6C which no-safe, long-term solution has been source does not need co be replenished as „ste, for example, c.t_ Edgemnn and R.r. "Saf<ry'; pag< t0 oftenasacobak-Go source. Whilethesto a Anantatmu6."HanfordWasmTankSysremDegtada- s ~ lion Mechanisms." prepared by Wescinghouu Hanford ' U.S. Departmem oFEnergy, hap:// of cesium sale capsules in cooling pools of tvww.em.doe.gov:80/trans2/cesium.html ("Transport- Co., for the U.S. Department of Fsergy duly 1995). water can ose environmental roblems, the ing Cesium-1377 and... svww.em.doc.gov:Nfll p P Thev write: "ILlon§-term, high<nergy gamma radiation can produce atomic displacements... Rad'ution emprog/summer/94/emprog4.htm1 ("Hanford's ""\lalung Good Decisions." RarheG t.'nviromm~u tr embrinlement oFetr6on sarols resulrs in a reduttian in Cesium Capsule Recovery Prngmm ticy;inx'1. Nr,+ld ll"rekly. `o. 470 (Novcmlxr 3(1.1 )75). Juetiliry of the stccl." = IGCFh op.rrt. page 13. Page to ~ Environment Hawai i ~ Februray t997 r,,~ ,-.USDA-required levels, is still emits radiation ~~num, although this wasn't loudly discussed) ~"J~ t levels coo high for humans to be exposed co : is actively promoted the development of . pag¢ y safely -and will continue to do so for food irradiation using cesium-t37 for yeazs. decades. According to the DOE in t983, 'The strategy Found. Cobalt-Go fabrication plants aze, in Cesium-t37, with ahalf--life of 3o years, beingpursued...isdesignedtotransferfeder- facc, evenworsethannormalnucleazreactors, takes hundreds of years xo decay to back- ally developed cesitun-r37 irradiation cech- be;ng legally permirced co release zo times ground levels of radiation. Iir addition, not nology to the commercial secror as rapidly more radiation than a wmmercial reactor.r9 only does the use of cesium-t37 generate and successfully as possible."'~' In any case, irradiation facilities using co- radioactive waste, it is radioactive waste co The accident in Decatur, Georgia, led xhe bale-Go do produce radioactive waste. The start with, being produced only as a result of DOE ro recall all the cesium-r37 capsules it coolingwaterinwhichthecobalrGoisstored nudeaz fission, such as occurs in an atomic had "leased" out and for the irradiation in- becomes radioactive, as do the containmem explosion or a nuclear reactor. dustryasawholetogowithcobalt-Goinstead vessels. These must be handled as radioactive Proposals such as thatofGray*Stazto cum of cesium-r;7. Now chat nearly a decade has wastes. this waste into a private wmmodiry support passed, the DOE-and industry- seem co Asrothestatemenx,thacallthecobalt-Go cheargumentsofcritieswhohayelongmain- beattemptingtoresurrecttheideaofcesium- produced in a yeaz could fit in a volume the rained that irradiation is pare of a plan by the r37 as a source for gamma irradiators. size of a desk, in theory is might be tme; in government co reduce its radioactive-wasre`. LineatAaderamrs practice, is isn't. The total volume required management costs. "DOE'S reason for pro- for safescorageofavolumeofcobalt-Go the motingnucleazbyproductswasmadecleazaz Background. X-rays can be generated by sizeofadeskis,inrealiry,manythousandsof heazingsheldint98;beforetheHouseArmed lineazacceleratorsorothermachinesource. timesrhat.3° Services Commiaee: the utilization of pro nencs.Theuseofafineazaaeleratoror Both cobalt-Go and cesium-t37 aze highly these radioactive marerials simply reduces p° radioactive for many years. Even when the • ourwaste-handlingproblem... [W]egetsome other X ray generator avoids the problems radioactivity of wbalt-Go has decayed to the of these very hot elements like cesium and associated with use of a radioactive isotope. point is can no longer generate the high doses strontium out of the waste.' The DOE was ,Opponents. To generate X-rays at sufficient ofgamma rays needed to ittadiare fruit ro the particulazly keen on developing technology strergth to meet USDA quarantine require- co reproduce spent nucleaz reactor fuel in menu,anylineazacceleracororothergenera- ~BLener of Glenn T. Seaborg to Haul O'Leary, seer order to recover the cesium-t and luto- tary of the U.S. Departmen[ of Energy, March 22, 37 ( p torwould almost certainly place a substantial 1995. Emphasis in original. burden on the Big Island's power supply. This, in rum, might require development of '0 Harvey Wasserman and Norman Solomon, IGlling no For a discussion of the desk analogy, see !tilting Our addlxional energy resOU[CeS, possibly includ- Our Oum (New York 1982), p. 190. Oum. op.rir., p. 197. inggeorhertnal ss Lineazaccelerarorsaze rarely used in irradiation facilities, in any event. Without a more detailed proposal for use of PrOpOSed CeSlum Irradiator an accelerator for treatment of Hawaiian fruit, a pro- and wn- discussion is not mean- HasYet to Be Built, Demonstrated ingStL Compazison with X $ays Gray*Staz, Inc., has published a fact sheet on is needed. According co the company's Background Gamma rays and X-rays are its "transportable," zoz-ton irradiator. The brochure, operating xrainingrequirements used to diagnose and treat health problems. tympany describes xhe machine as "no more aze "minimal; one day, on site. Only basic They come from the same types of sources difficult to use than a microwave oven." Even literacy is required." rhax would be used in a food irradiator. so, it offers such a sophisticated cracking Mother advantage that the Gray*Star system that "governmental regulatory agen- manufacturer claims for the machine is Proponents. SinceX-raysazeusedon people, cies,suchastheUnicedSratesDe aamenrof chat it can be o erared for much lon er What's the problem with using X-rays on p P g fruit? This was a int that irradiation's Agriculture, can review the unit's processing thancobalo-basedsyscemswichouctheneed Po records with a special code number and a for source replenishment. That's because proponents made oken during atown-hall simple phone call from anywhere in the cesium-t37hasahalf-lifeof3oyears,mean- type meeting on irradiation held in Hilo on world." ing that its radioactive strength decays by January tG. While concerns have existed for years halfoverthisperiodoftime.Cobalt-Go,on Opponents. The strength of a radioactive about the use of cesium in irradiators - the other hand, has afive-year half-life. soutceorelectronbeamusedinanirradiation and, in fact, the Hawaii Legislature banned The brochure's language implies, byuse facility is many millions times greater than cesium-sources for use in the state -the of the present tense, chat the Gray*Star that used in medical equipment. The dose Gray"Star's cesium source, the company equipment is up and running. Not quite. that a papaya receives (about 30o Grays, or claims, is absolutely, "inherently safe." Ic is The first machine has ye[ to be built. See "Safety'; page tt contained in four panels inside a ios-con Demonstrating its effectiveness and safety steel box. This normally sirs in the ground may take nvo years or more, after a ptoto- Meeker-lnwry, "From Imdiarion to Pasmurbation." buxwhenproductsarerobeaeazed,thebox type is delivered ro the USDA. Assuming ZMagnziucop.ric.p.39. is lifted up by six hydraulic cylinders ro chat no problems are identified, p[OdLLC- °This was acknowledged by Mayor Srcvc Y:unashin> encase the material co be irradiated. Lion of the "seventh" Gray"Scar may be in a telephone conversation with h.'nuirnuenu H.urei'i To operate the machine, no skilled labor years off. on January Z ro97. ^Pebntray x997 ~ Environmmt HawaPi ~ Page n and, therefore, erroneously stated that is had ISLAND WATCH denied HELCO's eDUA." (For additional background on this dis- Power Plant Gets Court Approval pnte, readers may wish to review the cover T ~ ~ attide in the June t994 issue ofErivironmenc TO Bwld on Ke`ahole Conservation Land Hawaiiandtheatticle"LaridEoazd,HELCO Are at Odds over Vote on Ke`ahole Expan- sion," EnvimnmentHawaiS, June t996.) The Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO)> written arguments. the elecuic power utility for the Big Island, Opponents of the Ke`ahole expansion $ ~ $ has won a judge's approval to move forwazd believe this hurt their case, noting chat Judge with wnsrruaion ofan addition to its power Ibarra had specifically requested Young Agribuslriess CorpOratton plancatKe`ahole,SourhKona.ThirdCircuit appeaz. In his Wiling, Ibarra cakes formal Holds Unnoticed Meetings Judge RonaldIbarraissuedanorderonJanu- nouceofYoung'sabsence. ary3,t997,dtatovetturrtedaneazliervoteof Hereisabriefsumtnaryoflbarra'sreason- ThesrateAgribusinessDevelopmentCorpo- the Boazd of Land and Natural Resources ing: ration inexplicably stopped mailing out no- that, according to Chairman Michael Wil- The state law gives the Land Boazd r8o cites of its meetings co interested parties in son,effecavelydeniedHELCO'srequescfora daysxodecideonaConservationDistriaUse Julyt99G.FromJulyuntilJanuary,itmetsix Conservation District Use Permit for the Application, but with provisions for time rimes. At no time were the parries whose expansion. extensions. In this case, the last time exren- names were dropped from the mailing list As Environment Hawaii repotted in its lion expired on Aprfl z6, r996. Ac an execu- notified of chic. June r99G edition, the Land Boazd voted tivesessionheldsometimeinApril,theland EnvironmenrFFatvaiSisonesuchparry.In three-co-nvo against HELCO at the end of a Boazd cook a voce on the applicadon. With the past, we had attempted to cover all meet- contesced case hearing that itself resulted boazd member Colbert Macsumoro havittgtr ings of the ADC. In June r996, the ADC's from an earlier decision by Judge Ibarra. recused himself, five members were left to execucivedireccorresigned.Whenwedidnoc HELCO went to coutt, arguing chat in order decide the matter. receive notice ofineetings for several months, for rite boazd's voce ro be binding, it would On a motion of board member Christo- we assumed that the agency was in some need to be made by a four-voce majority, pher Yuen ro deny the application, the vote disarray and was not meeting. rather than the three-voce majority the boazd was three in favor and two opposed. (Casting In fact, the.agency conducted business as managed co pull together. In his January 3 the dissenting votes were Michael Nekoba, usual. An interim executive director was ap- decision and order, Ibarra essentially sided Oahu board member, and Herbert Apaka, pointed-PaulaHelfiich,whoalso serves as with HELCO. of Kaua`iJ executive d'uettor ofthe Hawaii Island Eco- Theonlyremainingmajorpermitrequired The boazd reported its vote in Minute nomic Development Boazd and as the chief for the plant expansion now is from the state OrderNo. u, stating chatrhe applirationhad staff person for the Rural Economic Transi- Depatrmenc of Health. A heazing on that been denied and further stanng that rite donAssisrance-Havvai`i,theDeparcmenc-of- permitwas scheduled for January z9. BLNR "does not intend to deliberate further, Defense funded grant program for Hawaii The planned expansion will add 58 mega- orvoce again, on this matter. The BLNRdoes agribusiness. watts of capaury co the Ke`ahole facility, at a nor intend co extend the present April z6, Ac the January meetin which Environ- cosc ofmore than sroo million. r99G deadline to take further action in this menr Hawai i did atten~ADC Chairman matter." LindySutherlandwas informedofthefailure A No-show HELCO challenged this, stating that at to comply with the meeting notification re- One ofthe more puzzling aspects to the case least four members were needed to make the ,See "island Watch'; page 12 is the Eaa chat the Land Boazd's lawyer, beard's vote binding. The BLNR issued a depuryAtcotneyGeneralRandallYoung,did darifyingstarememonMaytointheformoE not appeaz in court to argue the state's case. an amended Minute Order No. tr, this time Su bse~^i be Young told EnvironmenrHatvai`ithathefeh stating that rather than denying HELCO's the scare had made its case adequately in request for a permit, in the absence of afour- vote majority, it mould not issue a permit. Environment Hawaii is supported by rubscrrp- Ibazradeterminedthat,"TheBLNR, once trans IfyoubelieveitfzlCsaneed,ifyouwantto S"J° J the April z6, t996, deadline passed, had no see it rurvive, please enter your rubscriptron `rJ° jurisdiction to as upon HELCO's CDUA" today. Backrssuesareavar/able. Plearewrrrefor fromliagero rn rmatran. The original Minute Order a thus would fo 30,000 cads, in the process used ac Isomedix stand asaconclusion oflaw"freely reviewable Name in Chicago) isone million times the dose chat by this court " Address a person would rypicallyreceive in achest X- In his review of that anion, Ibarra found, City, State _ Zip ray. "The BLNR erred in staring in the original For purposes of comparison, the LD So Minure Order No. [t that HELCO's CDUA Subscrrprrons cosc sag (regular rare): s6g doseforhumans-that is, thedosesufiicient was denied. Four votes of the BLNR aze (corporate, insnturronal, orsuppomr+g rokillhalfofanexposedpopulation-is6oo required co approveordisapprovetheCDUA subsmiprion). radi. In other words, the radiation chat just as required by Section r7r-5, [Hawai`i Revised Ser+d check wrrh form rv: one papaya must receive is many times that Statutes]. Accordingly, the BLNR failed to Environment Hawai'i..oo IG+rmdchua ' which can kill a person. cake any action, be a denial or approval Avenue, Sucre to3-3>t. Hilo. HI ab-:o Page ¢ ~ Envirormen[ Hawari ~ February t997 `"'~g over 5 years of experience (4 points maxi- '-""'strafing the poor condition of the land, ISIllYIl.~ WatC{J mum), knowledge in patticulaz field of busi- __.tuded by grazing cattle chat had been re- frmrz jrage zz ness (t pr. max) and knowledge in manage- moved from Ma`alaea following revocation of menc, financial and mazketing matters (z pts. the Ma`alaea lease. quirements of Chapter 9z, Hawai`i Revised max). Her ranching business dates from 1974 State law prohibits the Ise ofstate-owned Statutes. He seemed to be unawaze of the according to the appGtxtion." land to anyone who has had a lease revoked by problem, but promised is would be wrrected. In nc~ category of finandal capability, the Land Boazd for five years allowing the Uchida wrote, "she scored G to 9 points from revocation. In the case of Niles, although she ~ ~ ~ 'the screening members for credit worthiness managed the Ma`alaea ranch, the lease was DLNR Ex lams Award (z pts. mac')' financial strength (3 pts. max.), held in the name of her father. p economicviabiliryofplan(3pts.max.),short Theapplicationformforprospectivelessees Of Niles' Lease and long term financing (r pts. max.) and ofstatelandmnsror8pages,inciudinginscmc- marketing strategy (r prs. max.). Lions. Bidders aze asked ro provide a ro-yeaz AnnetteNBeswasconvictedtwoyearsagoon "Inthethirdrategory>herplanscoredfrom cash flow projection,apreliminaryconserva- more than zo chazges of animal cruelty, stem- 5 co 9 points from the members. The scoring don plan, a derailed descriprion of their expe- ming from the treatment of tattle on state- of the 3 subcategories is (t) Plan to utilize the rience in ranching, and a tax clearance form. owned land c}rat she ranched at Ma`alaea, land for a particular purpose (z pa. max.),.(z) There is no effort to determine whether fire Maui. In January, Niles' trial on additional Planfordevelopmencofchelandwithinatime applicanchasbeenconvictedofanimalcruelry, chazges of animal cruelty began (the trial has frame of first, second, third, fourth, and fifth fraud, or any other chazge that might speak to been continued until Mazch). yeaz of operation (7 pcs. max.) and (3) Physi- the applicant's suitability to hold a state lease. As Environment Hatvai i reported in De- cal, environmental and escltetic quality ofthe cember, despite the wnvictions and pending ,plan (r pts. max.)." 3 $ $ chazges, Niles was deemed by a screening Niles, Uchida concluded, "received a coal panel assembled by the Department of Land score from each member ofzo, zr, zz, z3, and MOloka`i Gets Funds and Natural Resources co be qualified to ranch z3. The differences occurred primazily in the ' To Protect Environment other state-owned land on Maui. At an auc- scoter on the Economic viability (second cat- cion of leases held in eazly December, she egory) of the plan, ranging from o co 3 points Nearly three years ago, the Molokai Chamber submitted the winning bid for a rG-acre pazcel and the Plan for development of the land of Commerce, the Ho`olehua Homesteaders in Kula -the same pazcel drat she had within a time frame (third category) ranging .Association, and Hui Ho`opakele `Aina filed operated eazlier, on a month-co-month revo- from z to 7 points." suit in federal court against developers of the cable permit, as pare of a feedlot operation of The pazcel Niles bid on was eazlier occu- Molokai pipeline project. The groups, repre- rhe family business, Ferreira Ranch, pied by Niles' family operation, the Ferreira rented by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, On Decemher S, Dean Uchida, adminis- Ranch. On June z3, r995, after Niles' convic- claimed that the developers and Their contrac- trator of the DLNR's Division of Land Man- Lion and the cancellation of the Ma`alaea tors - Kukui (Moloka`i), Inc., Kajima Engi- agemenr,sencamemorandum co members of Ranch lease,heldinthenameofherfadter,rhe veering and Construction, Inc., and Kiewic cheIandBoazddesuibingtheswringusedby lace Stephen Ferreira, the Land Boazd also Pacific Co. -had failed co obtain a srorm the screening committee in its evaluation of revoked the month-ro-month permit for the water permit for Their work, as required by the Niles and ocher prospective bidders. Accord- Kula land. federal Clean Water Act. ingtoUchida,checommitteelookedatexpe- Acwrdingtothestaffrepoittotheboazdin Thelawsuitwassetrledandaconsentdecree rience, financial capability, and plan ofutiliza- t995, "A recent inspection of the subject area approved lase Mazch by U.S. District Judge Lion and development of the land to be revealed that theproperryhasbeenovergrazed DavidA.Ezra.Undertermsofthacsetdemenc, occupied. "For the first category," Uchida by the permircee's catde." As Environment the defendants aze co pay szGz,zSo into a new wrote, "Annette Niles received G or 7 points Hatvai i reponed ac the time, boazd members fund, to be known as the Molokai Environ- fromeach of the screening members for hav- appeareddismayedwhenshownphocographs mental Protection Fund. In December r99G, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund announced that the fund, ad- ~Wt ministered by the Tides Foundation, was up and running. Qualified non-profit organiza- dons may apply for grants to fund environ- ZI06-SVL96 IH Enox-enI!E?I mental restoration, pollution prevention and reduction, citizens' advocacy, and legal ac- L6/ZI N XoH 'O'd Lions. III 3x141. S9m0 7 For information on how co apply, write to the Tides Foundation, P.O. Box z99o3,'San Francisco, California 94tz9-o9o3. A second lawsuit filed by the same plaintiffs ££f ~ON 11WN3d OZL9G hIEMEL.I `OItL.I in state court is pending. Defendants in that ui'o~tw Sz£-for annS `anuany enyalaoue}I ooz case are Kukui (Moloka`i), Inc., and the state O1v`I De attment of Land and Natural Resources. awcso,l sn ® P alvNxtne ur.MnH ® laawululnag No work has been done on thesr8million No1.1.~INV~NO nine-mile-long pipeline for the last three .LIdON<I-NON years.