After eating it for decades, I found out that bananas actually have radiation! Netizen: Is there any hope if I eat them frequently?

Bananas are sweet, soft and smooth, and are loved by people of all ages.

However, after eating them for decades, I didn’t know that bananas actually contain radiation!

Many people think of CT scans, nuclear leaks, and atomic bomb explosions: radiation causes cancer, so can eating bananas cause cancer?

What is the truth about "bananas have radiation"? In today's world where people are so afraid of "radiation", can we still eat bananas?

Why do bananas have radiation?

The essence of radiation is the transfer of energy, which can generally be divided into ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.

Radiation with high enough energy to ionize atoms is called ionizing radiation, including CT scans, nuclear radiation, etc.; low-energy radiation that cannot ionize atoms is called non-ionizing radiation, including radio waves, microwaves, etc.

Figure 1 Spectrum and properties of electromagnetic waves (Source: Wikipedia)

The reason why most people are afraid of radiation is mainly due to the harm of ionizing radiation.

Because the cells that make up our body are ultimately composed of atoms, once they receive high-energy radiation, the electrons in the atoms are attacked and leave the atoms to which they belong, making the atoms positively charged. Then the material structure of the cells will change, thus damaging the body, inducing cancer, causing infertility, and even causing fetal deformity and death, etc. Therefore, ionizing radiation is very harmful to the human body.

So what kind of radiation does banana emit? Where does the radiation from banana come from?

Bananas do have radiation, and it is the dreaded ionizing radiation. But there is no need to panic, because all claims about radiation hazards that are not based on dose are unscientific.

The radiation of bananas is related to the potassium content.

Potassium is widely found in nature in the form of salt and is also an important component of human muscle and nerve tissue. If the human body lacks potassium, it can lead to a series of problems such as irregular and accelerated heartbeat, abnormal electrocardiogram, and even cardiac arrest.

Potassium is innocent. Not only has it nothing to do with radiation, it is also very important to the human body.

But potassium has a brother, potassium-40 (40K), which is an isotope of potassium and is radioactive. It is one of the main sources of natural nuclear radiation for the human body, which means that potassium-40 will cause ionizing radiation.

The radiation of bananas comes from this radioactive element potassium-40. Because bananas are relatively rich in potassium among fruits, the content of potassium-40 is relatively higher.

So how much radiation does bananas emit?

How much radiation does a banana emit?

Here’s the direct answer: The amount of potassium-40 in bananas is like dust compared to the amount of radiation that can cause cancer.

People usually use "banana equivalent dose" to describe the amount of radiation, that is, to measure the amount of radiation received by using the equivalent of "how many bananas you eat".

When we eat a banana, the additional ionizing radiation dose we get is about 0.0778 microsieverts (a unit for calculating radioactive dose). The following comparison shows that this dose is very small:

A chest CT scan is equivalent to 70,000 bananas;

The maximum allowable radiation exposure of a nuclear power plant to the surrounding environment is the equivalent of 2,500 bananas per year, and the lethal dose is the equivalent of 35 million bananas, which means that one would need to eat 35 million bananas.

Moreover, our metabolism will control the potassium content in the body. Even if we eat bananas, the excess potassium will be excreted from the body, so you can eat bananas with confidence.

What other radiation is around us?

Radiation is almost everywhere in our lives. Non-ionizing radiation includes: the electronic products or household appliances we come into contact with, including mobile phones, computers, televisions, microwave ovens, flashlights, etc.; as well as radio broadcasting and communication transmitting equipment, high-voltage wires and transformers, etc.

The energy of this radiation is very low and basically harmless to the human body, so there is no need to worry.

Common ionizing radiation we encounter includes: subway security scanners, X-ray inspections, CT scans, etc.

Both X-ray and CT scans are performed using X-rays, which are ionizing radiation, so these two tests should not be performed too frequently, and you need to communicate with your doctor before the examination.

The subway security scanner also uses X-rays to examine objects, but the radiation dose is much smaller than that of the X-ray machine used for medical diagnosis, so there is no need to worry about affecting your health. But if you really mind, then when you go through the security scanner, don't put your hand into the scanner to get your bag just for the sake of momentary convenience.

In addition, tobacco needs special attention, as it contains radioactive elements such as polonium-210 and lead-210. Smoking is harmful to health, and this harm is far beyond the reach of bananas.

In conclusion

All the statements about radiation hazards without considering the dose

It's all unscientific

Bananas have radiation

But the radiation is very small

The radiation from cigarettes is more serious.

For other radiation

Reasonable analysis is needed

Don’t panic blindly

Experts in this article:

Zhang Xiaotian, PhD, School of Physics, Beihang University

Liao Jie, PhD, School of Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University