Irradiated Food: Would You Like Cancer With That?

If you see this symbol on food packaging, or on the shelf by the food (or if the food is glowing),... don't buy it. 

Don't think you have had enough radiation exposure already in your lifetime? Don't think that medical exposure through X rays and other diagnostic procedures have given you enough? How about Chernobyl or Fukushima fallout? Or the global effects of thousands of nuclear bomb tests? Or natural radon gas in your basement?

Still not enough? You want more? Someone must be asking for more, because that is what we are getting. Now the industrial food industry is giving you a dose, and wants to give you more. Yes, right in the foods you eat every day.

Would you like a bit of cancer with those irradiated fries?

Over the weekend I was reading that my government has just approved ground beef for the irradiation process, and Health Canada would like Big Meat to consider other products for the same treatment. I don't eat meat, so didn't feel affected.

However, my false sense of security evaporated quickly with a bit more research.

I found out that irradiation is already used in Canada to treat foods like potatoes, onions, wheat, flour, spices and some seasonings. In this nuclear attack on our food, industrial food processors bomb their products with radiation in order to kill bacteria and parasites, and extend shelf life.

Dr. Samuel Epstein, chair of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, is quoted as saying, "Every man, woman and child who takes a bite of irradiated food increases their chance of getting cancer. It is no exaggeration to say that our government has turned people into guinea pigs."

But it will increase profits, so it is approved. Pure insanity and greed running rampant. It is as insidious as nuclear fallout. What we really need is to end industrial food processing, or at least clean up this notoriously dirty and unsustainable method of food production so that blasting our food with radiation does not even need to be considered.

Eat me! I'm radioactive.

By this time, everyone who should know does know, unless they are in deep denial, that there is no safe level of radiation. Period. Radiation kills.

It may kill slowly, and you may not be able to conclusively link it back to a particular radiation exposure (that is the beauty of it for the whole nuclear industry), but it is a killer, and this has been known for many decades.

It is hard not to feel like there is some one, or some thing, consciously trying to kill me. And you. But we can fight back.

Organic products can not be irradiated. Food you grow yourself, or is grown sustainably by people you know, is also a good bet. It will contain radiation from many of the sources listed above, but at least it won't have more added to it just before you and your family consume it.

In Canada irradiated products are supposed to show the benign looking symbol that appears to be similar to something good and green, like recycling. Don't be fooled. Such products should have to sport the truth, which would be something more like the international symbol indicating radiation danger.

With proper food growing, processing and handling, irradiation is not required. At all. Ever. No thank you - I do not want an increased risk of cancer with my meal.

The truth about irradiated foods. Danger!

1. Irradiation damages the quality of food.


2. Irradiation produces toxic byproducts in the food.


3. Irradiation using radioactive materials is an environmental hazard which exposes workers and consumers unnecessarily.


4. Irradiation is a quick fix with long-term consequences.


5. Irradiation doesn't solve the problem, it just covers it up.

Wi-Fi Free Zone

Our Wi-Fi took a hit last summer. Lightning struck very close to our home with a near-simultaneous crack of the thunder beings. When the maelstrom passed it smelled like ozone, and our Wi-Fi was Wi-Fried. Permanently.

That storm did us a favour, making the decision to go Wi-Fi free for us. It was a decision we should have made sooner. Instead of buying a new wireless router we went back to a wired connection and carried on as if nothing happened. We don't miss it.

With all the wireless devices in our lives one would think that the radiation responsible for the transfer of data would be safe. One would be wrong. There is ample evidence to show that wireless radiation is not good for human health. Especially children. Plants, too.

While there is a mountain of data showing radiation to be harmful, one of the most interesting and grass roots efforts was conducted by a group of inquisitive junior high school students. The group of girls tested to see how radiation affected plant growth. After 12 days the plants placed near a wireless router were either stunted or dead.

Wi-Fi radiation has been shown to be associated with a long list of negative health outcomes including:

- increase risk of cancer
- stresses the adrenals
- breaks down the blood-brain-barrier
- cells less able to absorb nutrients
- headaches, insomnia, fatigue

Some say that Wi-Fi radiation is the asbestos of the 21st century. Other say it is nothing to worry about since the whole thing is based on bad science. I am just glad that the storm last summer made the decision for us.

Even though we are all soaking in wireless radiation, it can't hurt to minimize our exposure. Wi-Fi in the home is convenient, but it is hardly critical.

Protect Yourself

- use speaker phone instead of holding your cellphone to your skull
- keep your cell phone turned off except when using it
- turn off Wi-Fi routers when not in use, especially at night
- distance matters, so try to put a little (or a lot) of distance between you and any radiation-emitting devices.
- keep any electrical device at least 6 feet away from your head while in bed
- unplug electrical devices when not in use, a power bar can make this easier and can shut off multiple things at one time
- spend time in wilderness areas free of cell towers and Wi-Fi zones
- take a regular holiday from wireless devices

Three Years Of Fukushima And No End In Sight

It will be hard to scrub the memories of the 100,000 plus Japanese nuclear evacuees, 
some of whom will never be able to return to their home.

Today is the anniversary of the ongoing nuclear tragedy in Japan, although you could never tell by looking at mainstream media sources. I read lots of mentions of the earthquake and resulting tsunami, which were both devastating. But they really weren't the worst part.

I saw nothing about the anniversary of three reactors that had total meltdowns hours after the accident, and have now left their containment vessels to bubble and spew radiation unchecked for the next 100 years or more.

I saw nothing about a contaminated Pacific Ocean, or about fallout-affected pregnant women in Washington state giving birth to babies with no brains. I saw nothing about Japan's 100,000 plus evacuees that are still in temporary housing.

Since the world's worst nuclear accident started on 3/11 things at the stricken Fukushima power plant are as bad as they have ever been. But a collective memory fade is occurring in the absence of media coverage, aided by half truths, outright lies, denial and ignorance.

No plan? No solution? No worries! As a matter of fact, let's build more of these death traps. According to the World Nuclear Association, over 60 new nuclear power plants are being constructed in 13 countries.

The Fukushima situation is being handled as if straight from Orwell's novel 1984 and the Ministry of Truth.

War is Peace

Freedom is Slavery

Ignorance is Strength

Nuclear Power is Green, Cheap, and Safe

Who needs a memory hole when no one is paying attention?

Fukushima And Eating Low On The Food Chain

Bio-concentration in action

"Eat low on the food chain" was a saying popularized by Frances Moore Lappe in her 1971 meat-busting book Diet For A Small Planet. Her work highlighted the wasteful nature of grain-fed beef, and called for a plant-based diet, arguing that it was best for our bodies and the world.

But there is a new reason for leaving meat behind - the deadly nuclear fallout that has been spewing from the smashed and melting Fukushima power plant since 03/11.

This is what scientist Helen Caldicott said recently about radiation, food chains, and our health:

"Hazardous radionuclides such as iodine-131, caesium 137, and other isotopes currently being released in the sea and air around Fukushima bio-concentrate at each step of various food chains (for example into algae - crustaceans - small fish - bigger fish - then humans; or soil - grass - cow’s meat and milk - then humans. This process is called bioaccumulation and comes in two subtypes as well, bioconcentration and biomagnification.)

After they enter the body, these elements – called internal emitters – migrate to specific organs such as the thyroid, liver, bone, and brain, where they continuously irradiate small volumes of cells with high doses of alpha, beta and/or gamma radiation, and over many years, can induce uncontrolled cell replication – that is, cancer.

Further, many of the nuclides remain radioactive in the environment for generations, and ultimately will cause increased incidences of cancer and genetic diseases over time."

- Helen Caldicott, Foundation for a Nuclear-Free Planet

Fukushima radiation has already entered our food chain, just like Chernobyl radiation did in 1986. These particles, depending on what kind they are, could last for thousands of years. The thing about a nuclear accident is that it has a start date, but no real end date.

Animals bio-concentrate toxins, including Fukushima radioactivity. Creatures closer to the top of the food chain, such as tuna, salmon, and cows will accumulate more radiation than those low on the food chain. Soon you'll be able to eat a salmon steak or T-bone at night without turning the lights on.

The closer to the bottom of the food chain, the lower the concentration of contamination, generally speaking. For example, sardines may have lower concentrations than the larger predator fish. And plants, being at the bottom of food chains, will accumulate the least amount of radioactivity.

Fukushima fallout cloud, May 08, 2011

Eating a plant-based diet may be the best way to reduce exposure to nuclear stuff like the "hot particles" that were detected raining down on North America in March and April, 2011.

These will find their way into all our food eventually, but bio-concentration will see radioactivity increase as you go up the food chain.

In Japan scientists have already found cows contaminated through eating radioactive rice straw infected by the radioactive cloud still issuing from the melting Fukushima reactors.

Governments are behaving negligently in not informing their citizens of the dangers we are being exposed to. There was some talk of Canadian government scientists testing a popular 'high on the food chain' meat, salmon, for radiation, but I have seen no results yet. Radiation has already been found in west coast seaweed, so be prepared to hear the worst possible scenario - our food supply has been irradiated.

When it comes to radioactive particles, small reductions in exposure matter, and eating low on the food chain may reduce exposure. Frances Moore Lappe would be horrified at this turn of events, but would agree that a meatless menu is the way of the future.

Ocean Veggies: Collecting Seaweed

Seaweed - over 700 edible varieties on BC's coast

In the place I live, next to the Pacific Ocean, seaweed is a common sight on local beaches. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it until the Japanese nuclear disaster began in March. At that time I discovered that common seaweeds can protect your thyroid from radiation damage. But that is not all.

Ocean veggies, like their land-based counterparts, are good for you. Very good for you. They are amazing plants with many unique properties, including the profusion of different varieties. Seaweed comes in many different beautiful colours, shapes, sizes, and structures. They all taste different, too.

Super Seaweed Facts

• Bull kelp, which creates vast underwater 'old growth forests' is the fastest growing plant on earth
• the seaweed you find on beaches is good for fertilizer, but not for eating - the piles of beached seaweed are past their best before date, and are only good for giving the garden a boost
• in my immediate area there are over 200 species of seaweed, and all of them are edible
• you do not need a license to harvest seaweed for personal use
• seaweeds don't have root systems like terrestrial plants, and have fronds rather than leaves
• seaweed is the healthiest plant on earth - it has huge amounts of vitamins A, E, C, and all the Bs including B12. It has all the trace minerals, zinc, iron, protein, complete fiber, and no fat
• seaweed is rich in iodine, which gathers in the thyroid and leaves no place for radioactive Iodine-131 to bind to, preventing cancers (other parts of the body are still vulnerable to radiation, such as bone marrow)
• seaweed is good for cleansing your body, as it absorbs toxins - it does the same in the ocean, so only collect from untainted, pristine areas (not around marinas, for example)
• professional collectors never pull seaweed out from the end, called a holdfast (root-like structures that hold the seaweed to the ocean bottom) - the seaweed is cut from higher up so as to not destroy the plant.

The seashore has not been enclosed yet, and remains in the commons for us all to enjoy. I am excited about being able to go out and harvest this highly useful, highly nutritious plant. But as I am developing a desire to forage freely in our wild and prolific ocean garden, there is reason for caution.

Iodine-131 has recently been detected on the coast of BC, both in rainwater, and in seaweed. The radioactive compound that has traveled from Japan, has a half-life of 8 days. It can be expected to be arriving on our shores up to 4 weeks after the nuclear crisis ends, whenever that may be.

The Canadian government continues to report that there is nothing to worry about. But there is. The seaweed that I was going to collect to protect me against radioactive Iodine 131 now has that Iodine 131 in it, even if 'only' in small quantities.

I don't know about you, but I am worried about that. Disappointed, too. Seaweed is looking to me like a vast, untapped resource right on my doorstep. I want to benefit from it, but I think I will be holding off on harvesting my own seaweed for now.

I will be eating store-bought Nori until they get the Japanese nuclear reactors under control. After that, though, I will be wading into nature's ocean garden to learn more about super seaweed.