Risk assessment

n5jrn said:
Some have theorized that the reason multicellular life evolved only when it did is that at the start, the level of K-40 in natural K was such that any multicellular organism would be prone to developing radiation-induced cancer and dying an early death until the level of K-40 eventually dropped to a non-hazardous level as a result of radioactive decay.
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Interesting theory !!

Speaking about radiation, just two days ago a hot spot with a radiation level of 2.7 milliSv was detected close to the garden fence of an old house in a part of Tokyo prefecture south-west of the center. Since this is quite far from the source of radiation (Fukushima) and no other hot-spots were detected nearby, some specialists and also a professor from Tokyo university were asked about possible reasons. This morning the news reported that in the basement of the old house behind the garden fence an old bucket with radium-containing waste was detected, which had started to leak.... Speaking of bananas ...
 
radiation.png

(from http://xkcd.com/radiation/, the source for the article)
 
sanmich said:
So, I was planning to flight to NY, sleep with someone after eating a banana, but now, knowing that it costs 401.5 miliwhatever, I will probably pass.
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As long as you don't sleep with the banana life should be fine.
 
Great chart ! ... except for the value of "40mSv" for Tokyo after the Fukushima accident ... :eek:
 
on a slightly more serious note, i have had two chest x-rays, three ct scans and two pet scans in the past several months. AND, i have eaten some bananas. should i be scared? :)
 
maddoc said:
Great chart ! ... except for the value of "40mSv" for Tokyo after the Fukushima accident ... :eek:
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That's a typo, the prefix is off by a factor of 1000. It should be 40 µSv, otherwise it'd be 20 free head CT scans for everyone. ;)
 
paulfish4570 said:
on a slightly more serious note, i have had two chest x-rays, three ct scans and two pet scans in the past several months. AND, i have eaten some bananas. should i be scared? :)
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Good point. The bananas were not instead of the scans and X-rays, they were in addition to them. But then those scans and X-Rays were not superfluous. They were necessary. Come to think of it, I guess bananas are too. The potassium is needed for smooth muscle functioning. My doctor says they are good for my heart. 'All things in Moderation,' said Ben Franklin, "including moderation."
 
I hope people don't start talking about the radioactive K-40 in healthy low sodium 'Low Salt', it might cause a scare.
 
My wife used to have a part-time job packing bananas at a factory prior to delivery to supermarkets. NB - it was before we met. I like bananas but I prefer my wife. Should I be worried?
 
Paul Jenkin said:
My wife used to have a part-time job packing bananas at a factory prior to delivery to supermarkets. NB - it was before we met. I like bananas but I prefer my wife. Should I be worried?
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Just to complicate things further, sleeping next to you will expose your wife to half a banana's worth of radiation, and vice versa. In other words, you can sleep next to your wife and one other person before you get the same radiation exposure as from eating one banana. What now?
 
I thought sievert was a type of cat anyway ... I don't think they eat bananas thankfully

Paul; ... I had a PET scan last year; the nurse was wearing a haz-mat suit, and carried the pre-scan injection in a 3/8 think titanium syringe in a lead box ... I didn't bother enquiring how many bananas I needed to avoid to offset it
 
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