O'Bannon's announcement came last week, following a meeting of Illinois and Indiana transportation department officials with local leaders from both sides of the state line who expressed their desire to study the project. It is not surprising, then, that the thought of their food being bombarded with radiation may frighten more than comfort. But, this fear may be keeping a food safety technique out of the marketplace. Irradiation is the practice of using low levels of radiation to increase the shelf life of food. Irradiation technology has been available since the 1950s and has been long been used for spices, fruits and vegetables and later for ham and poultry.
All smoke contains pollutants, some of which are toxic.
The pollutants emitted from open burning are particularly troublesome for seniors, people with breathing problems and women who are pregnant or nursing. While happy to see the rain, the founder and former owner of the nursery said it would provide just a couple weeks of relief at best for trees throughout the area which have been struggling in the ongoing drought conditions. These trees, particularly those transplanted within the past two years, need some extra help, he said. The new statute, called Senate Enrolled Act 431 when it was pending legislation, was signed into law by O'Bannon March 17. State officials have issued 19 subpoenas in the probe, mostly to companies doing business with the Anderson auto-parts maker, The Star reported in its Sunday editions.