What is banana equivalent dose (BED)?
Banana equivalent dose, BED, is an informal dose quantity of ionizing radiation exposure. Banana equivalent dose is intended as a general educational example to compare a dose of radioactivity to the dose one is exposed to by eating one average-sized banana. One BED is often correlated to 10 -7 Sievert ( 0.1 µSv ).
What is a banana equivalent dose of radiation?
Banana equivalent dose. A banana contains naturally occurring radioactive material in the form of potassium-40. Banana equivalent dose (BED) is an informal measurement of ionizing radiation exposure, intended as a general educational example to compare a dose of radioactivity to the dose one is exposed to by eating one average-sized banana.
What is the equivalent of one banana in μSv?
Using this factor, one banana equivalent dose comes out as about 5.02 nSv/Bq × 31 Bq/g × 0.5 g ≈ 78 nSv = 0.078 μSv.
How much sievert is in a banana?
One BED is often correlated to 10 -7 Sievert (0.1 µSv). The radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). A chest CT scan delivers 58,000 BED (5.8 mSv).
How much radiation is in a banana?
One BED is often correlated to 10 -7 Sievert (0.1 µSv). The radiation exposure from consuming a banana is approximately 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation, which is 100 banana equivalent doses (BED). A chest CT scan delivers 58,000 BED (5.8 mSv). A lethal dose, the dose that kills a human with a 50% risk within 30 days (LD50/30) of radiation, is approximately 50,000,000 BED (5000 mSv). However, in practice, this dose is not cumulative, as the principal radioactive component is excreted to maintain metabolic equilibrium. Moreover, there is also a problem with the collective dose.
Do bananas have potassium?
Bananas contain significantly high potas sium concentrations, which is vital for the functioning of all living cells. The transfer of potassium ions through nerve cell membranes is necessary for normal nerve transmission. But natural potassium also contains a radioactive isotope potassium-40 (0.012%).
Is eating bananas dangerous?
But it does not mean, that it must be dangerous. In each case, intensity of radiation also matters. It is very similar as for heat from a fire (less energetic radiation). If you are too close, the intensity of heat radiation is high and you can get burned. If you are at the right distance, you can withstand there without any problems and moreover it is comfortable. If you are too far from heat source, the insufficiency of heat can also hurt you. This analogy, in a certain sense, can be applied to radiation also from radiation sources.
Do bananas have potassium?
Bananas contain significantly high potassium concentrations, which is vital for the functioning of all living cells. The transfer of potassium ions through nerve cell membranes is necessary for normal nerve transmission. But natural potassium also contains a radioactive isotope potassium-40 (0.012%). Potassium-40 is a radioactive isotope of potassium which has a very long half-life of 1.251×10 9 years and undergoes both types of beta decay.
Is eating bananas dangerous?
But it does not mean, that it must be dangerous. In each case, intensity of radiation also matters. It is very similar as for heat from a fire (less energetic radiation).
What is a BED in a banana?
The term BED was intended as a comparative example of a dose of radioactivity one could be exposed to by eating one average-sized banana. A banana is known to contain naturally occurring radioactive materials, like potassium-40. One BED is approximated to be 0.1 µSv.
Is banana exposure cumulative?
The exposure from a banana is not cumulative, as the radioactive component is excreted. The BED is only meant to inform the public about the existence of very low levels of natural radioactivity within a natural food and is not a formally adopted dose measurement.
