Irradiated food contains nuclear radiation and cannot be eaten?

This is not the case. Nuclear radiation, also known as ionizing radiation, will only harm the human body when the ionizing radiation reaches a certain dose (i.e., value). The dose received is proportional to the time of exposure to the ionizing radiation area. The longer the time, the more ionizing radiation received. Ionizing radiation is everywhere in our daily life. According to its source, it can be divided into natural radiation and artificial radiation. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reported that about 80% of the radiation received by the human body comes from the natural environment, and nearly 20% comes from artificial activities such as medical exposure (such as CT scans, X-rays and other radioactive medical examinations). Irradiated food refers to a processing method that sterilizes, kills insects or extends the shelf life of food through radiation processing technology. Commonly used radiation sources include gamma rays, electron beams and X-rays. These radiation sources destroy the DNA of microorganisms and make them lose their reproductive ability, thereby achieving the effect of sterilization and preservation. In actual production, the irradiation processing dose is strictly controlled. There will be no radiation residue in the irradiated food, and no new radioactive substances will be produced, so it can be eaten with confidence.

Shi Jianyi, Bachelor of Wuhan University, popular science creator

Qi Gan, Deputy Director of the Geological Disaster Emergency Coordination Office, China Institute of Geological Environment Monitoring (Geological Disaster Technical Guidance Center, Ministry of Natural Resources)