Irradiated foods

Irradiation of food is used for making food last longer, by getting rid of all the harmful bacteria and the contaminated particles from inside of it. Irradiation is used on many different kinds of foods, which were approved by the FDA, and those include wheat, as well as red meats and some vegetables. Foods are made safe to eat, and uncontaminated, by using gamma rays or any kind of similar radiation to kill the poisoned particles/cells that are making the food spoiled. However, scientists are still debating over whether eating radiated food is safe or not. No one knows for sure whether the radiation could have long-term health affects on the people who have eaten the treated food. That is why we have opened a debate in class, where half of the class was for, and half of the class against food irradiation. We had to come up with points, reasons and facts that would support our ideas and opinions on food irradiation. After a long debate, we had to come up with a compromise about food irradiation, and find the happy medium. Then, we were supposed to talk about our poroposition to the class.



As I said above, despote the numerous benefits, there are dangers or limitations of irradiated food. One of the limitations is that radiation is considered very harmful for human beings, and some people believe that irradiated food can have serious health effects on the people eating it. Another limitation is that irradiated food could, in fact, kill some of the nutrients and vitamins that are good for your body, and are actually healthy. Some people also believe that irradiation changes the taste, look and smell of the food.

What are the pros and cons of food irradiation?

There are many pros, but also numerous cons for this type of food treatment. I will start off by naming some of the pros. Firstly, irradiated food eliminated contaminated, spoiled particles, and enables food to last longer. This can help when shipping food to different places, keeeping the food in supermarkets longer, etc. Irradiation helps feed more people, and makes less food go to waste. Irradiation saves food, without harming the people who work around it. While a certain food is being irradiated, the people working at the plant are in no risk of getting nuclear poisoning, or anything similar, because the gamma ray supply source cannot blow up, and gamma radiation cannot escape the source, and harm the workers. Also, all the workers wear protective gear, and, so far, in around 60 years of experience, there were no cases of severe poisoning during food irradiation. Another benefit is that irradiated food not only gets rid of the contaminated bacteria, it also eliminates the risk of someone getting E.coli or salmonella, which are very dangerous diseases.

Some of the cons of irradiated foods is that they can have a health impact on people who eat them, because of the nuclear radiation. Also, radiation kills any living cells that exist in the food, which means that there is a risk it can kill some of the vitamines and nutrients that are healthy for you. However, it can be argued that some of the nutrients in the foods are already destroyed. Another con is that food irradiation cannot kill absolutely all the bacteria in the food. Another point against irradiated food is that not all foods can be irradiated. Freshly produced foods such as lettuce and cucumbers change texture when they are spoiled, and turn all mushy, which means that irradiation cannot really help.



What was the proposal your group gave? 

Our group agreed that we need to do research in order to start selling irradiated food. The research cannot be short-term, though, we need to test long term effects of irradiated food. If it is proven that irridiation doesn't cause any serious health damage, then the governemnt should legalize selling it, but only if the food is labelled, so that people can know what they are buying, and that they are still exposed to some kind of risk from the radiation. We also made a decision that not all food should be irradiated, but people should have a choice of whether they would like to biu fresh, untreated food, or irradiated food.

How was science used to address a global food problem with irradiation?  Is it effective in solving the global food problem?  Why or why not? 

World hunger is one of the most controversial and one fo the most biggest problems that face humans today. Millions of people are starving all around the world, and despite the horrifying statistics, we still continue to waste food, and produce way more then we could eat, so a lot of food is left contaminatated and uneaten. In the U.S. alone, 25% of food is waste and 5-17 billion dollars are lost annualy! In the last few years, we also had lots of natural disasters, from tsunamis a to earthquakes, and a lot fo people were left hungry and without food. So, other countries had to start shipping more food to the countries affected by natural disasters, and also put the prices down. With irradiation, food can last longer, and therefore, it can be shipped to many different places that need it. I think that iradiation is effective in some ways, but in some it is not. Firstly, if you were shipping irradiated food to places affected by a natural disaster, that wouldn't be too effective, because irradiated food is much more expensive then regular foods that can spoil easily. However, it is effective in some ways because, thanks to irradiation, food can get delivered to hungry people without getting contaminated.

Are there any moral, ethical, or environmental implications of the use of irradiation to solve global food issues?  If you think there are, what are they and why do you think so?

I think that science should start working more on using irradiation with more different types of foods. The more foods we can irradiate without any harm to the people eating it, the less food will go to waste. Scientists should start doing tests and research on foods that were, up until now, believed not to be appropriate and safe for irradiation. Of course, if scientists find out that more foods can be irradiated, then they should get their research and their conclusion about the food FDA approved, before they can start seeling the product.Another thing that I believe scientists should start researching is doing irradiation with other substances in types of radiation, not just gamma rays. As we all know, we hardly have any nuclear matter left on our planet, because we are wasting it and using it up too fast. If scientists could figure out a way of treating contaminated food with other forms of waves, that would help not only the food industry, but also help the environement.

You see two containers of a food at the supermarket.  One is irradiated; one is not.  The price is the same.  Which would you buy?  Explain why.

It all depends on where I was, when I was buying the food, etc. If I went to a local food store, I would probably choose the natural food, but I would check the expiration date. If I was buying food here in Belgrade, I would want it to be healthy, and I would want all the nutrients kept within the food, and not ruined by irradiation.  However, if I was in some country where food is hardly ever locally grown, and is mostly imported, I would buy the irradiated food, because that would mean it is not contaminated, and did not spoil during shipping. Also, if I was buying food where there is a huge shortage, or a natural disaster has hit the country, I would buy the irradiated food, because I would want it to last more, and I would want to be able to use it over a longer period of time.

 How did your thinking change throughout the debate, if at all?  How did this type of activity help you to see both sides or at least explore the issues further?  Did you like it?  Why or why not?  

My opinion, from the beginning was undecided, even though I knew that I was supposed to defend irradiation, and make the other side believe that food should be irradiated. There were points from both sides that I agreed to, and it was very ahrd to decide what is my own personal opinion. However, after I did some thinking, I came to the conclusion that irradiation should be allowed, but that people should have the choice of buying natural or irradiated foods, so that they know that they are exposing themnselves to a risk. I really loved the debate, especially isnce it was something we never did before, and it was a type of activity where you could include your opinion, as well as pure facts. As the debate progressed, new ideas came about, and we started talking about points that I overlooked before, thought were unimportant, etc. The debate helped looked at an issue from both sides, and realize that both sides had very valid reasons to have the opinion that they had. Overall, I really loved this small project/activity, and I wish that we could do this again for some other topic in the future.

Noise pollution....

What is noise pollution?

There are many types of pollution in the world, and all of them negatively affect us, as well as animals, plants and the environment. However, there is one type of pollution that is often being over-looked, and no one really pays much attention to the damage it can cause. It is noise pollution. Noise pollution consists of irritating, distracting sounds that can be heard very easily, and, in most cases, are very loud. Much like other forms of energy pollution, which include heat and light pollution, noise pollution does not pollute our environment through contaminated particles, but through waves, that interfere with the naturally-occurring waves around us. The definition of noise pollution is open to debate, because we do not necessarily know how harmful some sounds are, or which sounds we should consider damaging. So, basically, any sounds that even severely affect the well-being of wildlife and humans, or disturb the natural processes happening in our habitat constantly, should be considered noise pollution. Before, I have never looked at noise pollution in that way and I would have never guessed that even a honk of a car can raise your blood pressure! There are different types of noise pollution. The first type of noise pollution is domestic noise. This includes extremely loud music, which includes overly loud concerts, dogs barking, burglar alarms going off very late at night, as well as night-parties. The next type is commercial noise. Commercial noise includes noise from factories and construction sites, fan noise, chiller noise, and noise from pubs and clubs. Then, there is the noise that you can find on the streets on a daily basis. This is car honking, traffic, machinery operating on the roads, etc. The final type of noise pollution that people do not pay much attention to and that mostly affects wildlife is marine or underwater pollution. Underwater pollution includes submarines, as well as boats and ships. The amount of sound or noise produced is measured in decibels. Decibel is the measurement of sound that determines the loudness of noise created. “Pain threshold” for human hearing is 110 dB – 120 dB, which means that is the point when the noise is so loud, it causes pain, and definite ear damage.

Who does noise pollution affect?

Noise pollution affects both us as human beings, as well as plants and animals around us. Firstly, noise pollution causes hearing problems. Hearing damage can either be permanent or temporary. In very extreme cases, when the level of noise is well above 100 decibels, you can lose your hearing completely. Exposure to noise can also lead to cardiovascular problems. When you are exposed to non-pleasant sounds, that have a high frequency, your blood pressure gets much higher. High blood pressure can affect your arteries, and cause a disruption of your regular blood flow. Noise can also lead to low amount of sleep, or sleep disturbances. When you do not sleep enough, the affects could be extreme fatigue, headaches, as well as the inability to work efficiently. In very severe cases, noise pollution can lead to mental health problems. Loud noise can provoke violent behavior, as well as a lot of stress. Noise pollution also affects animals, though we might not be able to notice it all the time.  Animals can get very anxious when exposed to high pitched sounds, and they can start trembling uncontrollably. Cows can also start producing less milk if exposed to loud machinery. Intense noise can affect the reproduction of most animals, decreasing their populations, and disrupting the whole ecosystem and food chain. As for the sea animals, they use sounds to communicate to each other, and some of them use sound waves to locate their prey. However, when man-made sounds from submarines and ships interfere, a lot of confusion occurs, and the ecosystem is, again, disrupted.

What is the problem or issue with noise pollution?

The problem with noise pollution is that it is becoming larger every day, and it is affecting more and more people, especially the ones that live in urban areas. Let’s take Belgrade as an example, the city we live in! There is a great amount of traffic here, and, whenever I see people working on construction sites, or fixing the roads, they have no protective gear on, meaning that their ears are being exposed constantly to loud, high-pitched sounds. Another problem is that not a lot of people know about noise pollution, or are paying attention to the harm it can cause them. Some human beings live around a very dangerous, noise-polluted area, and do not even realize it, because the noise surrounding them occurs on a daily-basis, and it is a part of their every-day life. Countries need to educate their citizens more about noise pollution, in order to prevent further health problems and damages to the environment.

How is science/technology involved in solving these problems?

Many scientists, as well as companies and associations have created and come up with campaigns to teach people about noise pollution, as well as what precautionary measures they should take if they are exposed to noise pollution. Also, there are lots of laws that were created to try and prevent noise pollution from getting any larger. Because of all the modern technology, we were able to create devices to help us reduce noise pollution. The first one is the ear plug, which has helped many people, mostly the ones who work n factories, and next to loud machinery. Those plugs are made out of silicone material, and can nowadays be found everywhere around the world, including pharmacies, drug stores, etc. Those ear plugs are especially effective because the material they are made out of enables them to mold to the ear’s shape, blocking out all the unwanted noise from entering the ear canal. Another great scientific invention was that there are certain materials that absorb sound, such as curtains, carpeting, and others. Scientists have used their knowledge to create sound-proof walls. Those walls absorb the sound created inside your home, and therefore contribute to the society by not letting the waves out. However, if prevention does not work, scientists have also developed hearing aids, that will help people whose hearing has already been affected by noise pollution.

What benefits or limitations does science have in solving these problems?

One of the limitations is that those inventions and discoveries can help reduce, but not completely stop noise pollution. There is no invention, yet, that can block out unwanted sounds completely, though. Another limitation is that in order to help the overall well-being of the society, you have to make a sacrifice. For example, if you want to put sound-proof walls on your house, you would have to pay a lot of money, then you would for regular walls. You need to be very concerned, and very involved in trying to solve this sort of pollution, to sacrifice money and time, for the well-being of society. There are many benefits, as well, of these inventions, however. Those inventions help noise pollution become less dominant, and make the environment at least a tiny bit more peaceful for all organisms to live in, without over-pitched, high-frequented sounds getting in the way of natural processes and lifestyles.  

In conclusion, it is very hard to control noise pollution and try to prevent it. However, there are ways that you can help the environment, and decrease noise pollution. Here are a few tips below:

1.       Keep your stereo down. Try and not listen to overly loud music. However, if you enjoy very loud music, use headphones, and try not to pollute the environment for your neighbors, and other living things in your community.

2.       When you are listening to loud music, roll down your windows, to try and absorb the sound as much as possible.

3.       You should try and use electrical gardening tools, because they produce less noise then other gas-powered models.

4.       Plant trees, bushes and other plants around your house, to absorb as much noise as possible.

However, some people believe that loud music is very enjoyable, and think that it is not noise pollution. The famous band AC/DC, have that opinion!

Sites used:

http://what-is-what.com/what_is/noise_pollution.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/noise-pollution-effects.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-silicone-ear-plugs.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2273577_prevent-noise-pollution.html