All things about the media, marketing, business, Japan and other musings by Mike in Tokyo Rogers.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Radiation in Tokyo Same as Eating 1.5 Bananas
First, here is a link to a map of a few dozen independent radiation monitoring stations. You can click to see the radiation measurements in real time.
http://bit.ly/ep3BJN
(For easier to understand info read this: http://bit.ly/e0jB9R)
Second, back in school we talked about the "Banana Equivalent Dose." You see, bananas contain a lot of potassium, and a certain amount of the Earth's potassium is slightly radioactive. Eating a banana will expose you to about 0.1 microSv. Currently radiation levels in Tokyo are about the same exposure as eating 1.5 bananas.
I don't want to make light of the seriousness of the situation, but there is no radiation danger for those of us in Tokyo.
Tim
4 comments:
Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."
Is there radioactive caesium and strontium in bananas?
ReplyDeleteThat's no ordinary banana!
ReplyDeleteJT: there is naturally radioactive potassium-40 in bananas, which by anti-nuclear propaganda standards of half-life should be more scary than caesium and strontium!
ReplyDeleteNatural potassium-40 has a half-life of 1,248,000,000 years, compared to only about 30 years for strontium and caesium!
Totally agree
ReplyDelete