On the Internet you can often find the statement that bananas contain radioactive elements. We decided to check whether this is true and whether this is something to be wary of.
That bananas are the most radioactive fruit told many media (for example Lenta.ru, Life, "Ren-TV", "Regnum") And informational portals. You can meet information about the exceptional radioactivity of these fruits and on resourcesdedicated to nutrition and cooking. Users of social networks also write about this (“VKontakte", Telegram, X) And blogging platforms.
Bananas are rich in potassium: medium fruit contains about 422 mg of this substance. Daily norm macronutrient intake for an adult is 2600 mg for women and 3400 mg for men. Potassium necessary for the normal functioning of the body, its use helps maintain normal blood pressure and, as a result, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, it is thanks to potassium that bananas gained fame as a product from which you can get not only healthy vitamins and macroelements, but also a certain dose of radiation.
The fact is that 0.012% of all potassium atoms are unstable isotopes potassium-40, which is truly radioactive - as it decays, it emits beta and gamma radiation. They refer to ionizing a type of radiation that can damage DNA and, as a result, provoke the development of cancer or lead to radiation sickness.
But in reality, everything is not so scary. Firstly, a person is constantly exposed to radiation - for example, from natural background radiation Earth. Secondly, the shorter the period half-life atoms of one or another element, the more radioactive it is (and, accordingly, dangerous for humans). Potassium-40 has a half-life of 1.3 billion years, so this isotope is not that dangerous, especially in the small doses in which people typically consume it. For comparisons, when passing through a metal detector at an airport, a person receives the same dose of radiation as when he eats two and a half bananas. A day on Earth, with its own background radiation, is equivalent to consuming 100 bananas (although this varies by location), and a mammogram is equivalent to consuming 4,000 bananas. To receive a dose of radiation that can significantly increase the risk of developing cancer, you need to eat about 1 million bananas. Well, 100 million of these fruits can really lead to fatal radiation sickness.
Of course, 100 million bananas cannot be consumed even in a lifetime (unless you eat 3,400 bananas every day for 80 years). There is other good news: potassium does not accumulate in the human body; normally it is in excess (including radioactive potassium-40) are displayed with excrement (mainly urine). Therefore, there is no need to be afraid that bananas eaten over the course of a lifetime can increase the radiation load on the body over the years and lead to adverse health consequences.
Despite the small amount of potassium-40 isotope in bananas, they are known cases, When detectors radiation was triggered on cars or trucks loaded with these fruits. Because of their radioactivity, there is even such a thing as “banana equivalent”, that is, comparing the radiation dose received (for example, during some minor accident) with the radiation dose that a person receives by eating a banana (this is about 0.1 microsievert). Of course, no one officially measures the radiation leakage in bananas - this is just a simplified concept through which it is easier to explain to ordinary people the effects of moderate doses of radiation.
By the way, bananas are not the only food products rich in potassium and, accordingly, containing its radioactive isotope. For example, in avocado contains 690 mg of potassium, baked in the peel of the tuber potatoes medium size - 926 mg, per 100 g dried apricots — 1160 mg, per 100 g watermelon pulp - 112 mg (but who eats watermelon in such small portions?).
Thus, bananas are naturally radioactive due to their high potassium content, including its isotope potassium-40. However, in order to receive a dose of radiation that can kill a person or at least somehow harm his health, you need to eat thousands of these fruits - and not in your entire life, but in a relatively short period of time, so that excess potassium does not have time to be naturally eliminated from the body during metabolism. Since this is simply impossible, there is no need to worry about radiation from bananas.
Cover photo: pexels.com
Read on the topic:
- MedicalNewsToday. Top 13 high potassium foods
- Healthline. 18 Foods That Pack More Potassium Than a Banana
- Is it true that MRI, X-ray, CT and fluorography are dangerous to health?
- Is it true that you need to take iodine immediately after exposure to radiation to protect against infection?
- Is it true that cacti protect against computer radiation?
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