Comments on: Irradiation to enhance food safety http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/ A Chat and Waffles Chemistry Blog Fri, 16 May 2008 02:52:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: maz http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-740 maz Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:34 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-740 "Lack of government acknowledgment" is dead on. Its not necessarily that they discount the importance of nuclear science, but that they are afraid to FUND it. I haven't encountered any academics who call nuclear science a worthless field. I have encountered many, however, who agree that there is no money in it. This could and should be different. I suppose it is no surprise why so many nuclear ppl become bitter. First they see an opportunity to use these technologies to "better the world" and all that. Then they spend years developing them, only to be told that the public won't accept it because they are misinformed. That isn't exactly the fault of the public though. I mean if you aren't a scientist you have to trust the word of the scientists who tell you that these technologies are safe. With all the conflicting reports on cloning, global warming, biofuels, etc., the public must have a hard time trying to figure out who is trustworthy. “Lack of government acknowledgment” is dead on. Its not necessarily that they discount the importance of nuclear science, but that they are afraid to FUND it. I haven’t encountered any academics who call nuclear science a worthless field. I have encountered many, however, who agree that there is no money in it. This could and should be different.

I suppose it is no surprise why so many nuclear ppl become bitter. First they see an opportunity to use these technologies to “better the world” and all that. Then they spend years developing them, only to be told that the public won’t accept it because they are misinformed. That isn’t exactly the fault of the public though. I mean if you aren’t a scientist you have to trust the word of the scientists who tell you that these technologies are safe. With all the conflicting reports on cloning, global warming, biofuels, etc., the public must have a hard time trying to figure out who is trustworthy.

]]> By: noel http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-738 noel Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:59:49 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-738 Another suggestion for the FDA folks: High energy electromagnetic wave cleansing methods (HEEMWCM). Hello, does anyone NOT see our frustrations here? There we have a promising field of science that may solve *many* existing problems and nobody is attending to it. Let's face it, the aging of nuclear science community is a serious problem. We need fresh minds. We need new takes on things. We need more brilliant minds in this field to utilize these wonderful tools that the previous generations of hard work and sheer genius had shared with us. Chemistry students are steering away from nuclear science because of all these public perception and the lack of government AND academic acknowledgment on its merit and importance. The bottom line is: we shouldn't have to HIDE the technology that could be saving YOUR behind. Sorry. Another suggestion for the FDA folks: High energy electromagnetic wave cleansing methods (HEEMWCM).

Hello, does anyone NOT see our frustrations here? There we have a promising field of science that may solve *many* existing problems and nobody is attending to it. Let’s face it, the aging of nuclear science community is a serious problem. We need fresh minds. We need new takes on things. We need more brilliant minds in this field to utilize these wonderful tools that the previous generations of hard work and sheer genius had shared with us.

Chemistry students are steering away from nuclear science because of all these public perception and the lack of government AND academic acknowledgment on its merit and importance.

The bottom line is: we shouldn’t have to HIDE the technology that could be saving YOUR behind. Sorry.

]]> By: mitch http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-737 mitch Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:10:17 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-737 Just say we used high-energy solar light to clean the lettuce. ;) Just say we used high-energy solar light to clean the lettuce. ;)

]]> By: Rich E. http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-734 Rich E. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:35:51 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-734 This is absolutely about the public misconception of radiation. And until we come up with an accurate, defensible term that describes the process without using "radiation" in any form, it's likely that packagers will not advertise the fact that they're doing it. This is one more result of living in a country that is generally math and science phobic. It's not sterilization or pasteurization, how about "decontamination"? Still not quite right, but closer. This is absolutely about the public misconception of radiation. And until we come up with an accurate, defensible term that describes the process without using “radiation” in any form, it’s likely that packagers will not advertise the fact that they’re doing it. This is one more result of living in a country that is generally math and science phobic.

It’s not sterilization or pasteurization, how about “decontamination”? Still not quite right, but closer.

]]> By: retread http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-728 retread Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:00:49 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-728 Lots of luck. Why do you think docs use the term magnetic resonance imaging rather than what NMR really stands for? Because we knew we'd never get people into them if we did -- particularly since the early ones were quite noisy and claustrophobia inducing. Even with the soothing name change, 10% of patients couldn't make it all the way through the test in the early days. Retread Lots of luck. Why do you think docs use the term magnetic resonance imaging rather than what NMR really stands for? Because we knew we’d never get people into them if we did — particularly since the early ones were quite noisy and claustrophobia inducing. Even with the soothing name change, 10% of patients couldn’t make it all the way through the test in the early days.

Retread

]]> By: Enahs http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-727 Enahs Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:48:39 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-727 I love living in the south. I have a nice big house all to my self, with a huge back yard. I grow virtually all my own vegetables and fruits. The climate is pretty good and I can grow stuff virtually all year long. And I have a green house and use that in the coldest months to keep me lush in produce. I grow 2 kinds of lettuce (as lettuce was mentioned in the post), 15 kinds of peppers, yellow squash, zucchini squash, potatoes (2 types), 2 types of onions as well, mushrooms (5 types), carrots, celery (I grow very little of this though), 9 different types of tomatoes, 10 different herbs, strawberries (my favorite food in the world), blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. I also recently planted 2 apple and 2 orange trees, I will see how these fair. But it will be a while before I can even consider letting them fruit. I love fresh produce. I have no clue how people eat the store bought crap all the time. Seriously, everything taste avogadro's number times better. I also enjoy being health. Fresh produce is good for that. And I hate seafood (which is why I was not to fond of New Orleans). I also got some kind of food poisoning and why I did not make it to the SciMix. That was a lot of writing about not much... I love living in the south. I have a nice big house all to my self, with a huge back yard. I grow virtually all my own vegetables and fruits. The climate is pretty good and I can grow stuff virtually all year long. And I have a green house and use that in the coldest months to keep me lush in produce.

I grow 2 kinds of lettuce (as lettuce was mentioned in the post), 15 kinds of peppers, yellow squash, zucchini squash, potatoes (2 types), 2 types of onions as well, mushrooms (5 types), carrots, celery (I grow very little of this though), 9 different types of tomatoes, 10 different herbs, strawberries (my favorite food in the world), blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. I also recently planted 2 apple and 2 orange trees, I will see how these fair. But it will be a while before I can even consider letting them fruit.

I love fresh produce. I have no clue how people eat the store bought crap all the time. Seriously, everything taste avogadro’s number times better.

I also enjoy being health. Fresh produce is good for that.

And I hate seafood (which is why I was not to fond of New Orleans). I also got some kind of food poisoning and why I did not make it to the SciMix.

That was a lot of writing about not much…

]]> By: maz http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-726 maz Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:36:44 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-726 I think the primary problem is an overwhelmingly ignorant population that still does stupid crap like calling Berkeley a "nuclear free zone". In the article they talk about consumer groups being concerned about radioactive waste and accidental radiation releases. Aside from these not really being an issue, especially if we are intelligent about the design, it is hard to mention "nuclear" and get people to not immediately think of bombs or reactors. So use the nuclearblog ppls, and change that public misconception!!! It is seriously needed though. 1 in 4 Americans suffer food borne illness? 1 in 4? WTF? That sounds like something i would expect to hear about India or someplace like that. I think the primary problem is an overwhelmingly ignorant population that still does stupid crap like calling Berkeley a “nuclear free zone”. In the article they talk about consumer groups being concerned about radioactive waste and accidental radiation releases. Aside from these not really being an issue, especially if we are intelligent about the design, it is hard to mention “nuclear” and get people to not immediately think of bombs or reactors.

So use the nuclearblog ppls, and change that public misconception!!!

It is seriously needed though. 1 in 4 Americans suffer food borne illness? 1 in 4? WTF? That sounds like something i would expect to hear about India or someplace like that.

]]> By: Chemgeek http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-724 Chemgeek Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:15:09 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-724 Me too. That would be so cool. It would be a great way to freak out the ignorant. Me too. That would be so cool. It would be a great way to freak out the ignorant.

]]> By: Mitch http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-723 Mitch Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:48:48 +0000 http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2008/04/22/irradiation-to-enhance-food-safety/#comment-723 I would want to buy lettuce with radiation stickers! I would want to buy lettuce with radiation stickers!

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