Safety of Oxygreen, an ozone treatment on wheat grains. Part 2. Is there a substantial equivalence between Oxygreen-treated wheat grains and untreated wheat grains?

The Oxygreen process is a new process based on wheat grain treatment by ozone (produced in situ), in a closed sequential batch reactor. The Oxygreen process offers a close, homogeneous, and controlled contact between the gas and the grain. It is proposed for use for wheat grain decontamination (insects, fungi, bacteria, mycotoxins, pesticides). It takes place in classical milling diagram, and occurs after grain cleaning and before milling. The aim of the study reported here was to determine if Oxygreen treatment could induce in the grain the formation of processing-related compounds, and if these compounds are specific or could be recognized as classical modifications already used in the cereal industry (milling, baking). Studies were performed in order to evaluate any effect of Oxygreen treatment on vitamins, ferulic acid, phytates, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. It was concluded that there was no detectable substantial difference between ozone-treated grains and the untreated ones, although some quantitative differences can occur. The more detectable differences concern concentration of free sugars, and inhibition of some oxidative enzymes. These quantitative differences are very slight compared to the modifications that occur in dough, after addition of oxidative products directly in flour, or during kneading and dough fermentation.

An ALARA approach to the radiological control of foodstuffs following an accidental release.

This article presents a methodology based on two complementary approaches, thus allowing a selection of maximal concentration in foodstuffs for determining appropriate countermeasures. The first approach is based on a minimal and maximal per capita intervention level and takes into account the annual intake of each product. The second one is based on a cost-benefit analysis, comparing the advantages of a countermeasure concerning those products presenting a contamination higher than a given maximal concentration (in terms of reduction of cost of the detriment associated with the risk), with its drawbacks (in terms of cost of the products) in order to select the "ALARA" maximal concentration. This second approach is used as a complement to the first one. The results obtained through these two approaches are given for four products (milk, meat, fresh vegetables, and corn) and two nuclides (Cs-137 and I-131). These are presented for various scenarios: one or various products contaminated by one or various radionuclides. It is concluded that these two approaches are complementary, the first one being related to individual risk and the second to collective risk. Therefore, these approaches are both of interest in the context of the elaboration of modalities for the radiological control of foodstuffs following an accidental release and both methods may be useful for determining appropriate countermeasures.

[Exposure of industrial origin. Transfer to the environment]. / Exposition d'origine industrielle. Transferts dans l'environnement.

The purpose of this paper is to show how to assess the consequences of gaseous and liquid releases. The following points are studied successively: --atmospheric dispersion and depletion process, in order to evaluate wet and dry deposition; --marine diffusion in order to evaluate the contamination of aquatic products; --the different models permitting to assess the contamination of vegetal and animal products; --the models used for the doses calculations resulting from external exposure due to the plume or the deposit. The calculation of the individual and collective effective dose equivalents is presented for each pathway to man.