Food irradiation

As a science teacher, I apologize.  I apologize for the appalling lack of knowledge about science in the general population in the US.

The other day, I listened as a friend waxed eloquent about the “possible dangers” of irradiated food.  He waxed eloquent while eating a medium rare (source of e. coli), charcoal grilled (source of nitrosamines, carcinogens) hamburger.  When I tried to explain the interesting position he had placed himself in; he dismissed me by saying that he had been eating like this for 25 years and it hadn’t hurt him yet.

He would rather risk a sever or fatal e. coli attack than eat safe meat!  

I apologize, again, for the sad state of science education in the US.  All I can say is that sometimes you get what you pay for!  (And, the background and training of school science teachers is getting worse by the year!)