Irradiation time, effect toxicity

Extensive animal feeding studies designed to detect the potential presence of toxic substances in various irradiated foods have been carried out since the 1950s, mostly in USA and Europe. None of the studies carried out under the auspices of the IFIP (24 involved countries, 67 technical reports published in 12 years) showed any indication that the irradiated foods contained radiation-produced carcinogens or other toxic substances. In a French study, for example, nine chemical compounds that had been identified in irradiated starch were fed daily to rats in amounts calculated to be 800 times the amounts the animals might be expected to consume from a normal daily intake of irradiated starch. No toxic effect was found even at this exaggerated rate of intake (chapter 8 of [1 ]). 

The effect of the incubation time on the level of light-dependent toxicity was tested more specifically with fluoranthene. The incubation time ranged from 5 min to 120 min, with a 30-min irradiation in all cases. The LCcq value was 0.032 after 5 min, 0.015 after 120 min, and 0.012 ppm after overnight incubation. Variations in irradiation time, therefore, produce a greater effect than Veuria-ticns in incubation time. 

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