Chapter 2: The Chemistry of Life
The Controversy over Food Irradiation Research
In the Point/Counterpoint in Chapter 2, two scientists, Donald Louria and George Giddings, debate the environmental and health safety of sterilizing food with irradiation. In the text, I asked you to summarize their views and consider which view most closely relates to your view on the subject.
Furthering the Exploration:
To help you evaluate the Web sites and clarify your own opinion, write down your answers to the following questions. Taking an active part in this exercise will help you prepare for discussions in and out of your class. - What new facts, ideas, and viewpoints, if any, did these web sites provide for you? How did they further your understanding of this? Did you find the issue to be more complex?
- Did your examination and analysis of the material affect your support of one of the two viewpoints presented in the text? If so, explain how and why.
- After reading the material, can you think of an alternative position to those taken by the authors? Explain it.
- Do you think that the information provided by all organizations and individuals at the web sites you visited was pretty reliable and unbiased? How much of it was scientific and how much of it was viewpoint based on ethics? Do you think any of these sites had hidden agendas?
- As in many issues, certain words can bear a great deal of emotional weight. In this case, the term 'radiation' conjures up images of victims of the atomic bomb blasts in Japan. How much does this scary term affect the debate?
- In your view, after reviewing the web sites, is food irradiation dangerous to our health and the environment?
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