The best thing you can do right now is write a letter to your Congressperson and Senators and tell them that you don't want to eat irradiated food, but the FDA's regulations do not require adequate labels to allow you to choose nonirradiated food. Find your members of Congress here . If you don't know your 9-digit zip code, find it here first. Citizens' Position on Irradiation Citizens For Health believes that irradiated foods should be clearly and prominently labeled so that consumers have the information they need to make choices about the food they buy. Citizens supports preventing food contamination before it happens through better processing and careful handling rather than relying on irradiation to eliminate contamination after the fact.
Serious questions exist concerning the long-term safety of a diet containing irradiated food.
Nobody denies that irradiation creates free radicals, which ricochet through the food and destroy vitamins and digestive enzymes, and peroxidize fats. The free radicals create new chemicals, some of which are toxins, like benzene, formaldehyde and hydrocarbons, of which the long-term effects of consumption are unknown. Furthermore, free radicals themselves are suspected of promoting many diseases. Irradiation using nuclear materials produces radioactive waste, risks exposing workers to radiation and increases the likelihood for environmental accidents. The public would be better served by expanded research into safe, healthy alternatives to the irradiation of foods.