The FFTF was closed in 1983 because new missions could not be identified. Decommissioning began in December 1993. While there are many reasons that the FFTF should not be reopened, including the production of radioactive waste and the lack of the need for a facility for producing medical isotopes, I will focus my testimony on the purported necessity of producing isotopes for food irradiation , the danger of creating more sealed sources of radiation, and the hazard to the public and the environment of restarting the reactor. First, just because the U.S. regulatory agencies have legalized irradiation does not mean consumers will buy irradiated food. Nothing is more important to most Americans than the health and safety of their families.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about protecting their health.
No long term studies have been done on the effects of food irradiation, and there is ample evidence that the process destroys vitamins and produces carcinogenic chemical compounds in food. There is overwhelming evidence that Americans are skeptical of food irradiation. A 1997 poll conducted by CBS News found that 73 percent of the public opposes irradiation, and 77 percent of the public would not eat irradiated food. The FDA has received thousands of cards and letters demanding that it continue to require the labeling of irradiated food. However, even the economic interests that are promoting food irradiation do not necessarily believe that the use of radioactive isotopes Cesium 137 and Cobalt 60 is the best way to irradiate food.