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Bananas contain naturally occurring (/wiki/Radioactive_isotope) (Radioactive isotope) radioactive isotopes , particularly (/wiki/Potassium-40) (Potassium-40) potassium-40 (40 K), one of several naturally occurring (/wiki/Isotopes_of_potassium) (Isotopes of potassium) isotopes of potassium . One BED is often correlated to 10\u22127 (/wiki/Sievert) (Sievert) sievert (0.1 \u03bcSv); however, in practice, this dose is not (/wiki/Cumulative_dose) (Cumulative dose) cumulative , as the potassium in foods is excreted in urine to maintain (/wiki/Homeostasis) (Homeostasis) homeostasis .[ 1] The BED is only meant as an educational exercise and is not a formally adopted dose measurement. (/wiki/File:Banana-Single.jpg) A banana contains (/wiki/Naturally_occurring_radioactive_material) (Naturally occurring radioactive material) naturally occurring radioactive material in the form of (/wiki/Potassium-40) (Potassium-40) potassium-40 . Contents 1 History 2 Usage 3 Dose calculation 3.1 Source of radioactivity 3.2 Criticism 4 Radiation from other household consumables 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links History (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=1) (Edit section: History) edit The origins of the concept are uncertain, but one early mention can be found on the (/w/index.php?title=RadSafe&action=edit&redlink=1) (RadSafe (page does not exist)) RadSafe nuclear safety mailing list in 1995, where Gary Mansfield of the (/wiki/Lawrence_Livermore_National_Laboratory) (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory mentions that he has found the \"banana equivalent dose\" to be \"very useful in attempting to explain infinitesimal doses (and corresponding infinitesimal risks) to members of the public\".[ 2] A value of 9.82\u00d710\u22128 (/wiki/Sievert) (Sievert) sieverts or about 0.1 (/wiki/Sievert) (Sievert) microsieverts (10 (/wiki/Roentgen_equivalent_man) (Roentgen equivalent man) \u03bcrem ) was suggested for consuming a 150-gram (5.3\u00a0oz) banana.[(/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed) (Wikipedia:Citation needed) (This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2024)) citation needed ] Usage (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=2) (Edit section: Usage) edit The banana equivalent dose is an informal measurement, so any equivalences are necessarily approximate, but it has been found useful by some as a way to inform the public about relative radiation risks.[ 2] (/wiki/File:Radiation_Dose_Chart_by_Xkcd.png) Approximate doses of radiation in sieverts, ranging from trivial to lethal. The BED is the third from the top in the blue section (from (/wiki/Randall_Munroe) (Randall Munroe) Randall Munroe , 2011[ 3] ) (/wiki/File:Radiological_exposure_from_daily_life.png) Approximate doses of radiation in (/wiki/Flight-time_equivalent_dose) (Flight-time equivalent dose) Flight-time equivalent dose from daily life activities. The radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). The maximum permitted radiation leakage for a nuclear power plant is equivalent to 2,500 BED (250 \u03bcSv) per year, while a chest (/wiki/CT_scan) (CT scan) CT scan delivers 70,000\u00a0BED (7\u00a0mSv). An acute (/wiki/Lethal_dose) (Lethal dose) lethal dose of radiation is approximately 35,000,000\u00a0BED (3.5\u00a0Sv, 350\u00a0rem). A person living 16 kilometres (10\u00a0mi) from the (/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_Nuclear_Generating_Station) (Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station) Three Mile Island nuclear reactor received an average of 800\u00a0BED of exposure to radiation during the 1979 (/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident) (Three Mile Island accident) Three Mile Island accident .[ 4] Dose calculation (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=3) (Edit section: Dose calculation) edit Source of radioactivity (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=4) (Edit section: Source of radioactivity) edit The major natural source of radioactivity in plant tissue is (/wiki/Potassium) (Potassium) potassium : 0.0117% of the naturally occurring potassium is the unstable (/wiki/Isotope) (Isotope) isotope potassium-40. This isotope (/wiki/Radioactive_decay) (Radioactive decay) decays with a (/wiki/Half-life) (Half-life) half-life of about 1.25 billion years (4\u00d71016 seconds), and therefore the (/wiki/Radioactive_decay#Rates) (Radioactive decay) radioactivity of natural potassium is about 31 (/wiki/Becquerel) (Becquerel) becquerel /gram (Bq/g), meaning that, in one gram of the element, about 31 (/wiki/Atom) (Atom) atoms will decay every second.[ a] [ 5] Plants naturally contain radioactive (/wiki/Carbon-14) (Carbon-14) carbon-14 (14 C), but in a banana containing 15 grams of carbon this would give off only about 3 to 5 low-energy (/wiki/Beta_ray) (Beta ray) beta rays per second. Since a typical banana contains about half a gram of potassium,[ 6] it will have an activity of roughly 15\u00a0Bq.[ 7] Although the amount in a single banana is small in environmental and medical terms, the radioactivity from a truckload of bananas is capable of causing a (/wiki/False_alarm) (False alarm) false alarm when passed through a (/wiki/Radiation_Portal_Monitor) (Radiation Portal Monitor) Radiation Portal Monitor used to detect possible (/wiki/Smuggling) (Smuggling) smuggling of (/wiki/Nuclear_material) (Nuclear material) nuclear material at U.S. ports.[ 8] The dose uptake from ingested material is defined as (/wiki/Committed_dose) (Committed dose) committed dose , and in the case of the overall effect on the human body of the radioactive content of a banana, it will be the \"committed effective dose\". This is typically given as the net dose over a period of 50 years resulting from the intake of radioactive material. According to the (/wiki/US_Environmental_Protection_Agency) (US Environmental Protection Agency) US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), isotopically pure potassium-40 will give a committed dose equivalent of 5.02\u00a0nSv over 50 years per becquerel ingested by an average adult.[ 9] Using this factor, one banana equivalent dose comes out as about 5.02 nSv/Bq \u00d7 31 Bq/g \u00d7 0.5 g \u2248 78 nSv = 0.078 \u03bcSv. In informal publications, one often sees this estimate rounded up to 0.1\u00a0\u03bcSv.[ 3] The International Commission on Radiological Protection estimates a coefficient of 6.2\u00a0nSv/Bq for the ingestion of potassium-40,[ 10] with this datum the calculated BED would be 0.096 \u03bcSv, closer to the standard value of 0.1 \u03bcSv. Criticism (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=5) (Edit section: Criticism) edit Several sources point out that the banana equivalent dose is a flawed concept because consuming a banana does not increase one's exposure to radioactive potassium.[ 11] [ 12] [ 1] The committed dose in the human body due to bananas is not cumulative because the amount of potassium (and therefore of 40 K) in the human body is fairly constant due to (/wiki/Homeostasis) (Homeostasis) homeostasis ,[ 13] [ 14] so that any excess absorbed from food is quickly compensated by the elimination of an equal amount.[ 2] [ 11] It follows that the additional radiation exposure due to eating a banana lasts only for a few hours after ingestion, i.e. the time it takes for the normal potassium content of the body to be restored by the kidneys. The EPA conversion factor, on the other hand, is based on the mean time needed for the isotopic mix of potassium isotopes in the body to return to the natural ratio after being disturbed by the ingestion of pure 40 K, which was assumed by EPA to be 30 days.[ 13] If the assumed time of residence in the body is reduced by a factor of ten, for example, the estimated equivalent absorbed dose due to the banana will be reduced in the same proportion. These amounts may be compared to the exposure due to the normal (/wiki/Composition_of_the_human_body) (Composition of the human body) potassium content of the human body of 2.5 grams per kilogram,[ 15] or 175 grams in a 70\u00a0kg adult. This potassium will naturally generate 175 g \u00d7 31 Bq/g \u2248 5400 Bq of radioactive decays, constantly through the person's adult lifetime. Radiation from other household consumables (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=6) (Edit section: Radiation from other household consumables) edit Other foods rich in potassium (and therefore in 40 K) include (/wiki/Potato) (Potato) potatoes , (/wiki/Kidney_beans) (Kidney beans) kidney beans , (/wiki/Sunflower_seed) (Sunflower seed) sunflower seeds , and (/wiki/Nut_(fruit)) (Nut (fruit)) nuts .[ 16] [ 17] (/wiki/Brazil_nut) (Brazil nut) Brazil nuts in particular (in addition to being rich in 40 K) may also contain significant amounts of radium, which have been measured at up to 444 Bq/kg (12 (/wiki/Nanocurie) (Nanocurie) nCi /kg).[ 18] [ 19] (/wiki/Tobacco) (Tobacco) Tobacco contains traces of (/wiki/Thorium) (Thorium) thorium , (/wiki/Polonium) (Polonium) polonium and (/wiki/Uranium) (Uranium) uranium .[ 20] [ 21] The process of drying and then smoking the solid matter concentrates those radionuclides further, creating in essence (/wiki/TENORM) (TENORM) technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material . See also (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=7) (Edit section: See also) edit (/wiki/Background_radiation) (Background radiation) Background radiation (/wiki/Background_radiation_equivalent_time) (Background radiation equivalent time) Background radiation equivalent time (/wiki/Flight-time_equivalent_dose) (Flight-time equivalent dose) Flight-time equivalent dose (/wiki/List_of_humorous_units_of_measurement) (List of humorous units of measurement) List of humorous units of measurement (/wiki/List_of_unusual_units_of_measurement) (List of unusual units of measurement) List of unusual units of measurement (/wiki/Naturally_occurring_radioactive_material) (Naturally occurring radioactive material) Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) Notes (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=8) (Edit section: Notes) edit ^ The activity per unit mass of natural potassium is the number of atoms of 40 K in it, divided by the average lifetime of a 40 K atom in seconds. The number of atoms of 40 K in a sample of natural potassium is the (/wiki/Mole_fraction) (Mole fraction) mole fraction of 40 K (0.000117\u00a0mol/mol) times the (/wiki/Avogadro_constant) (Avogadro constant) Avogadro constant 6.022\u00d7 1023 mol\u22121 (the number of atoms per (/wiki/Mole_(unit)) (Mole (unit)) mole ) divided by the (/wiki/Relative_atomic_mass) (Relative atomic mass) relative atomic mass of potassium ( 39.0983\u00a0g/mol ), namely about 1.80\u00d7 1018 per gram. As in any (/wiki/Exponential_decay) (Exponential decay) exponential decay , the average lifetime is the half-life ( 3.94\u00d7 1016 s ) divided by the (/wiki/Natural_logarithm_of_2) (Natural logarithm of 2) natural logarithm of 2 , or about 5.684\u00d7 1016 seconds. References (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=9) (Edit section: References) edit (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626) ^ a b Paul Frame, (https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/consumer/food/no-salt.html) General Information About K-40 , Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Accessed 6 October 2021. ^ a b c RadSafe mailing list: (http://health.phys.iit.edu/extended_archive/9503/msg00074.html) original posting and (http://health.phys.iit.edu/archives/2011-March/031395.html) follow up thread . FGR11 discussed. ^ a b Randall Munroe, (https://xkcd.com/radiation/) Radiation Dose Chart , xkcd , March 19, 2011. Accessed 26 December 2017. ^ (https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/three-mile-island-accident.aspx) \"Three Mile Island Accident\" . Retrieved 2015-10-25 . ...The average radiation dose to people living within 10 miles of the plant was 0.08 millisieverts... (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Three+Mile+Island+Accident&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-nuclear.org%2Finformation-library%2Fsafety-and-security%2Fsafety-of-plants%2Fthree-mile-island-accident.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) Bin Samat, Supian; Green, Stuart; Beddoe, Alun H. (1997). \"The 40 K activity of one gram of potassium\". Physics in Medicine and Biology . 42 (2): 407\u2013 13. (/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)) (Bibcode (identifier)) Bibcode :(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997PMB....42..407S) 1997PMB....42..407S . (/wiki/Doi_(identifier)) (Doi (identifier)) doi :(https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0031-9155%2F42%2F2%2F012) 10.1088/0031-9155/42/2/012 . (/wiki/PMID_(identifier)) (PMID (identifier)) PMID (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9044422) 9044422 . (/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)) (S2CID (identifier)) S2CID (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:250778838) 250778838 . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Physics+in+Medicine+and+Biology&rft.atitle=The+%3Csup%3E40%3C%2Fsup%3EK+activity+of+one+gram+of+potassium&rft.volume=42&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E407-%3C%2Fspan%3E13&rft.date=1997&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1088%2F0031-9155%2F42%2F2%2F012&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A250778838%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F9044422&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1997PMB....42..407S&rft.aulast=Bin+Samat&rft.aufirst=Supian&rft.au=Green%2C+Stuart&rft.au=Beddoe%2C+Alun+H.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) (https://web.archive.org/web/20110814155548/http://www.chiquitabananas.com/Worlds-Favorite-Fruit/bananas-and-potassium.aspx) \"Bananas & Potassium\" . Archived from (http://www.chiquitabananas.com/Worlds-Favorite-Fruit/bananas-and-potassium.aspx) the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2011-07-28 . ...the average banana contains about 422 (/wiki/Milligram) (Milligram) mg of potassium... (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Bananas+%26+Potassium&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chiquitabananas.com%2FWorlds-Favorite-Fruit%2Fbananas-and-potassium.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) Tom Watson (Feb 26, 2012). (http://anti-proton.com/?p=606) \"Radioactive Banana! Peeling Away the Mystery\" . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Radioactive+Banana%21+Peeling+Away+the+Mystery&rft.date=2012-02-26&rft.au=Tom+Watson&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fanti-proton.com%2F%3Fp%3D606&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) (Accessed 14 March 2012). ^ (http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_88.html) Issue Brief: Radiological and Nuclear Detection Devices . Nti.org. Retrieved on 2010-10-19. ^ (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/520-1-88-020.pdf) Federal Guidance Report #11 (table 2.2, page 156) Lists conversion factor of 5.02\u00d710\u22129 Sv/Bq for (/wiki/Committed_effective_dose_equivalent_(CEDE)) (Committed effective dose equivalent (CEDE)) committed effective dose equivalent of ingested pure potassium-40 (not of natural potassium). ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) (http://www.icrp.org/publication.asp?id=ICRP+Publication+119) \"ICRP\" . www.icrp.org . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.icrp.org&rft.atitle=ICRP&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icrp.org%2Fpublication.asp%3Fid%3DICRP%2BPublication%2B119&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ a b (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) (/wiki/Maggie_Koerth-Baker) (Maggie Koerth-Baker) Maggie Koerth-Baker (Aug 27, 2010). (https://boingboing.net/2010/08/27/bananas-are-radioact.html) \"Bananas are radioactive\u2014But they aren't a good way to explain radiation exposure\" . Retrieved 25 May 2011 . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Bananas+are+radioactive%E2%80%94But+they+aren%27t+a+good+way+to+explain+radiation+exposure&rft.date=2010-08-27&rft.au=Maggie+Koerth-Baker&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fboingboing.net%2F2010%2F08%2F27%2Fbananas-are-radioact.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) . Attributes the title statement to Geoff Meggitt, former UK Atomic Energy Authority. ^ Gordon Edwards, (http://www.ccnr.org/About_Radioactive_Bananas.pdf) \"About Radioactive Bananas\" , Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. Accessed 26 December 2017. ^ a b U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (1999), (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/402-r-99-001.pdf) Federal Guidance Report 13 , page 16: \"For example, the ingestion coefficient risk for 40K would not be appropriate for an application to ingestion of 40 K in conjunction with an elevated intake of natural potassium. This is because the biokinetic model for potassium used in this document represents the relatively slow removal of potassium (biological half-time 30 days) that is estimated to occur for typical intakes of potassium, whereas an elevated intake of potassium would result in excretion of a nearly equal mass of natural potassium, and hence of 40 K, over a short period.\" ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) Eisenbud, Merril; Gesell, Thomas F. (1997). (https://books.google.com/books?id=67Pn4ydLOVAC) Environmental radioactivity: from natural, industrial, and military sources . Academic Press. pp. (https://books.google.com/books?id=67Pn4ydLOVAC&pg=PA171) 171\u2013172 . (/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) (ISBN (identifier)) ISBN (/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-235154-9) (Special:BookSources/978-0-12-235154-9) 978-0-12-235154-9 . It is important to recognize that the potassium content of the body is under strict homeostatic control and is not influenced by variations in environmental levels. For this reason, the dose from 40 K in the body is constant. (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Environmental+radioactivity%3A+from+natural%2C+industrial%2C+and+military+sources&rft.pages=171-172&rft.pub=Academic+Press&rft.date=1997&rft.isbn=978-0-12-235154-9&rft.aulast=Eisenbud&rft.aufirst=Merril&rft.au=Gesell%2C+Thomas+F.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D67Pn4ydLOVAC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ Thomas J. Glover, comp., Pocket Ref , 3rd ed. (Littleton: Sequoia, 2003), p. 324 ((/wiki/LCCN_(identifier)) (LCCN (identifier)) LCCN (https://www.loc.gov/item/2002091021) 2002-91021 ), which in turn cites Geigy Scientific Tables, Ciba-Geigy Limited, Basel, Switzerland, 1984. ^ (https://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q482.html) Environmental and Background Radiation (https://web.archive.org/web/20101125084343/http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q482.html) Archived 2010-11-25 at the (/wiki/Wayback_Machine) (Wayback Machine) Wayback Machine , (https://hps.org) Health Physics Society . ^ (https://web.archive.org/web/20100527112912/http://ocrwm.doe.gov/curriculum/unit2/pdf/lesson3activity3.pdf) Internal Exposure from Radioactivity in Food and Beverages , U.S. Department of Energy (archived from (http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/curriculum/unit2/pdf/lesson3activity3.pdf) the original on 2007-05-27). ^ (https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/consumer/food/brazil-nuts.html) Brazil Nuts . ORAU.org/health-physics-museum/. Retrieved on 2021-10-6. ^ (http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/natural.htm) Natural Radioactivity (https://web.archive.org/web/20150205001244/http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/natural.htm) Archived 2015-02-05 at the (/wiki/Wayback_Machine) (Wayback Machine) Wayback Machine . Physics.isu.edu. Retrieved on 2010-10-19. ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) Nain, Mahabir; Gupta, Monika; Chauhan, R P; Kant, K; Sonkawade, R G; Chakarvarti, S K (November 2010). \"Estimation of radioactivity in tobacco\". Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Physics . 48 (11): 820\u2013 2. (/wiki/Hdl_(identifier)) (Hdl (identifier)) hdl :(https://hdl.handle.net/123456789%2F10488) 123456789/10488 . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Indian+Journal+of+Pure+%26+Applied+Physics&rft.atitle=Estimation+of+radioactivity+in+tobacco&rft.volume=48&rft.issue=11&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E820-%3C%2Fspan%3E2&rft.date=2010-11&rft_id=info%3Ahdl%2F123456789%2F10488&rft.aulast=Nain&rft.aufirst=Mahabir&rft.au=Gupta%2C+Monika&rft.au=Chauhan%2C+R+P&rft.au=Kant%2C+K&rft.au=Sonkawade%2C+R+G&rft.au=Chakarvarti%2C+S+K&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) ^ (mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222) Abd El-Aziz, N.; Khater, A.E.M.; Al-Sewaidan, H.A. (2005). \"Natural radioactivity contents in tobacco\". International Congress Series . 1276 : 407\u2013 8. (/wiki/Doi_(identifier)) (Doi (identifier)) doi :(https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ics.2004.11.166) 10.1016/j.ics.2004.11.166 . (ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=International+Congress+Series&rft.atitle=Natural+radioactivity+contents+in+tobacco&rft.volume=1276&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E407-%3C%2Fspan%3E8&rft.date=2005&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.ics.2004.11.166&rft.aulast=Abd+El-Aziz&rft.aufirst=N.&rft.au=Khater%2C+A.E.M.&rft.au=Al-Sewaidan%2C+H.A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABanana+equivalent+dose) External links (/w/index.php?title=Banana_equivalent_dose&action=edit§ion=10) (Edit section: External links) edit (https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/radioactivity-in-food) \"Radioactivity in food: your questions answered\" , (/wiki/Food_Standards_Agency) (Food Standards Agency) Food Standards Agency (https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/safety-xray) \"Radiation Dose\" , (/wiki/Radiological_Society_of_North_America) (Radiological Society of North America) Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA) Radiation doses for various common procedures. 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Bananas contain naturally occurring radioactive isotopes, particularly potassium-40 (40K), one of several naturally occurring isotopes of potassium. One BED is often correlated to 10\u22127 sievert (0.1 \u03bcSv); however, in practice, this dose is not cumulative, as the potassium in foods is excreted in urine to maintain homeostasis.[1] The BED is only meant as an educational exercise and is not a formally adopted dose measurement.\nA banana contains naturally occurring radioactive material in the form of potassium-40.\n\n\n\n\nThe origins of the concept are uncertain, but one early mention can be found on the RadSafe nuclear safety mailing list in 1995, where Gary Mansfield of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory mentions that he has found the \"banana equivalent dose\" to be \"very useful in attempting to explain infinitesimal doses (and corresponding infinitesimal risks) to members of the public\".[2] A value of 9.82\u00d710\u22128 sieverts or about 0.1 microsieverts (10\u00a0\u03bcrem) was suggested for consuming a 150-gram (5.3\u00a0oz) banana.[citation needed]\n\n\nThe banana equivalent dose is an informal measurement, so any equivalences are necessarily approximate, but it has been found useful by some as a way to inform the public about relative radiation risks.[2]\n\n\u00a0Approximate doses of radiation in sieverts, ranging from trivial to lethal. The BED is the third from the top in the blue section (from Randall Munroe, 2011[3])\n\u00a0Approximate doses of radiation in Flight-time equivalent dose from daily life activities.\nThe radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). The maximum permitted radiation leakage for a nuclear power plant is equivalent to 2,500 BED (250 \u03bcSv) per year, while a chest CT scan delivers 70,000\u00a0BED (7\u00a0mSv). An acute lethal dose of radiation is approximately 35,000,000\u00a0BED (3.5\u00a0Sv, 350\u00a0rem). A person living 16 kilometres (10\u00a0mi) from the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor received an average of 800\u00a0BED of exposure to radiation during the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.[4]\n\n\nSource of radioactivity\n\n \nedit\n\n\n\n\n\nThe major natural source of radioactivity in plant tissue is potassium: 0.0117% of the naturally occurring potassium is the unstable isotope potassium-40. This isotope decays with a half-life of about 1.25 billion years (4\u00d71016 seconds), and therefore the radioactivity of natural potassium is about 31 becquerel/gram (Bq/g), meaning that, in one gram of the element, about 31 atoms will decay every second.[a][5] Plants naturally contain radioactive carbon-14 (14C), but in a banana containing 15 grams of carbon this would give off only about 3 to 5 low-energy beta rays per second. Since a typical banana contains about half a gram of potassium,[6] it will have an activity of roughly 15\u00a0Bq.[7] Although the amount in a single banana is small in environmental and medical terms, the radioactivity from a truckload of bananas is capable of causing a false alarm when passed through a Radiation Portal Monitor used to detect possible smuggling of nuclear material at U.S. ports.[8]\nThe dose uptake from ingested material is defined as committed dose, and in the case of the overall effect on the human body of the radioactive content of a banana, it will be the \"committed effective dose\". This is typically given as the net dose over a period of 50 years resulting from the intake of radioactive material.\nAccording to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), isotopically pure potassium-40 will give a committed dose equivalent of 5.02\u00a0nSv over 50 years per becquerel ingested by an average adult.[9] Using this factor, one banana equivalent dose comes out as about 5.02 nSv/Bq \u00d7 31 Bq/g \u00d7 0.5 g \u2248 78 nSv = 0.078 \u03bcSv. In informal publications, one often sees this estimate rounded up to 0.1\u00a0\u03bcSv.[3] The International Commission on Radiological Protection estimates a coefficient of 6.2\u00a0nSv/Bq for the ingestion of potassium-40,[10] with this datum the calculated BED would be 0.096 \u03bcSv, closer to the standard value of 0.1 \u03bcSv.\n\n\nSeveral sources point out that the banana equivalent dose is a flawed concept because consuming a banana does not increase one's exposure to radioactive potassium.[11][12][1]\nThe committed dose in the human body due to bananas is not cumulative because the amount of potassium (and therefore of 40K) in the human body is fairly constant due to homeostasis,[13][14] so that any excess absorbed from food is quickly compensated by the elimination of an equal amount.[2][11]\nIt follows that the additional radiation exposure due to eating a banana lasts only for a few hours after ingestion, i.e. the time it takes for the normal potassium content of the body to be restored by the kidneys. The EPA conversion factor, on the other hand, is based on the mean time needed for the isotopic mix of potassium isotopes in the body to return to the natural ratio after being disturbed by the ingestion of pure 40K, which was assumed by EPA to be 30 days.[13] If the assumed time of residence in the body is reduced by a factor of ten, for example, the estimated equivalent absorbed dose due to the banana will be reduced in the same proportion.\nThese amounts may be compared to the exposure due to the normal potassium content of the human body of 2.5 grams per kilogram,[15] or 175 grams in a 70\u00a0kg adult. This potassium will naturally generate 175 g \u00d7 31 Bq/g \u2248 5400 Bq of radioactive decays, constantly through the person's adult lifetime.\n\nRadiation from other household consumables\n\n \nedit\n\n\n\n\n\nOther foods rich in potassium (and therefore in 40K) include potatoes, kidney beans, sunflower seeds, and nuts.[16][17] \nBrazil nuts in particular (in addition to being rich in 40K) may also contain significant amounts of radium, which have been measured at up to 444 Bq/kg (12\u00a0nCi/kg).[18][19] \nTobacco contains traces of thorium, polonium and uranium.[20][21] The process of drying and then smoking the solid matter concentrates those radionuclides further, creating in essence technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material.\n\n\nBackground radiation\nBackground radiation equivalent time\nFlight-time equivalent dose\nList of humorous units of measurement\nList of unusual units of measurement\nNaturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)\n\n^ The activity per unit mass of natural potassium is the number of atoms of 40K in it, divided by the average lifetime of a 40K atom in seconds. The number of atoms of 40K in a sample of natural potassium is the mole fraction of 40K (0.000117\u00a0mol/mol) times the Avogadro constant 6.022\u00d71023\u00a0mol\u22121 (the number of atoms per mole) divided by the relative atomic mass of potassium (39.0983\u00a0g/mol), namely about 1.80\u00d71018 per gram. As in any exponential decay, the average lifetime is the half-life (3.94\u00d71016\u00a0s) divided by the natural logarithm of 2, or about 5.684\u00d71016\u00a0seconds.\n\n\n^ a b Paul Frame, General Information About K-40, Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Accessed 6 October 2021.\n\n^ a b c RadSafe mailing list: original posting and follow up thread. FGR11 discussed.\n\n^ a b Randall Munroe, Radiation Dose Chart, xkcd, March 19, 2011. Accessed 26 December 2017.\n\n^ \"Three Mile Island Accident\". Retrieved 2015-10-25. ...The average radiation dose to people living within 10 miles of the plant was 0.08 millisieverts...\n\n^ Bin Samat, Supian; Green, Stuart; Beddoe, Alun H. (1997). \"The 40K activity of one gram of potassium\". Physics in Medicine and Biology. 42 (2): 407\u201313. Bibcode:1997PMB....42..407S. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/42/2/012. PMID\u00a09044422. S2CID\u00a0250778838.\n\n^ \"Bananas & Potassium\". Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2011-07-28. ...the average banana contains about 422 mg of potassium...\n\n^ Tom Watson (Feb 26, 2012). \"Radioactive Banana! Peeling Away the Mystery\". (Accessed 14 March 2012).\n\n^ Issue Brief: Radiological and Nuclear Detection Devices. Nti.org. Retrieved on 2010-10-19.\n\n^ Federal Guidance Report #11 (table 2.2, page 156) Lists conversion factor of 5.02\u00d710\u22129 Sv/Bq for committed effective dose equivalent of ingested pure potassium-40 (not of natural potassium).\n\n^ \"ICRP\". www.icrp.org.\n\n^ a b Maggie Koerth-Baker (Aug 27, 2010). \"Bananas are radioactive\u2014But they aren't a good way to explain radiation exposure\". Retrieved 25 May 2011.. Attributes the title statement to Geoff Meggitt, former UK Atomic Energy Authority.\n\n^ Gordon Edwards, \"About Radioactive Bananas\", Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. Accessed 26 December 2017.\n\n^ a b U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (1999), Federal Guidance Report 13, page 16: \"For example, the ingestion coefficient risk for 40K would not be appropriate for an application to ingestion of 40K in conjunction with an elevated intake of natural potassium. This is because the biokinetic model for potassium used in this document represents the relatively slow removal of potassium (biological half-time 30 days) that is estimated to occur for typical intakes of potassium, whereas an elevated intake of potassium would result in excretion of a nearly equal mass of natural potassium, and hence of 40K, over a short period.\"\n\n^ Eisenbud, Merril; Gesell, Thomas F. (1997). Environmental radioactivity: from natural, industrial, and military sources. Academic Press. pp.\u00a0171\u2013172. ISBN\u00a0978-0-12-235154-9. It is important to recognize that the potassium content of the body is under strict homeostatic control and is not influenced by variations in environmental levels. For this reason, the dose from 40K in the body is constant.\n\n^ Thomas J. Glover, comp., Pocket Ref, 3rd ed. (Littleton: Sequoia, 2003), p. 324 (LCCN\u00a02002-91021), which in turn cites Geigy Scientific Tables, Ciba-Geigy Limited, Basel, Switzerland, 1984.\n\n^ Environmental and Background Radiation Archived 2010-11-25 at the Wayback Machine, Health Physics Society.\n\n^ Internal Exposure from Radioactivity in Food and Beverages, U.S. Department of Energy (archived from the original on 2007-05-27).\n\n^ Brazil Nuts. ORAU.org/health-physics-museum/. Retrieved on 2021-10-6.\n\n^ Natural Radioactivity Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. Physics.isu.edu. Retrieved on 2010-10-19.\n\n^ Nain, Mahabir; Gupta, Monika; Chauhan, R P; Kant, K; Sonkawade, R G; Chakarvarti, S K (November 2010). \"Estimation of radioactivity in tobacco\". Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Physics. 48 (11): 820\u20132. hdl:123456789/10488.\n\n^ Abd El-Aziz, N.; Khater, A.E.M.; Al-Sewaidan, H.A. (2005). \"Natural radioactivity contents in tobacco\". International Congress Series. 1276: 407\u20138. doi:10.1016/j.ics.2004.11.166.\n\n\n\"Radioactivity in food: your questions answered\", Food Standards Agency\n\"Radiation Dose\", Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 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