[ RadSafe ] Busby Take on Go Figure: What bananas tell us about radiation (BBCarticle)

[Steven Dapra]

Dec. 8

         I thought the nuts were in Wales, not Brazil.

Steven Dapra



At 07:23 PM 12/8/2011, you wrote:
>If you want a really good source of radioactivity [to attain optimal dose
>levels] try Brazil Nuts!
>
>________________________________
>From: Roger Helbig <rwhelbig at gmail.com>
>To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
>Sent: Thu, December 8, 2011 3:34:25 AM
>Subject: [ RadSafe ] Busby Take on Go Figure: What bananas tell us about
>radiation (BBCarticle)
>
>Here is yet another example of how Busby misleads the public - I was
>looking for old message about bananas to send to AP reporter in Japan
>who put out the report on Cs-137 in baby formula after she asked me
>"bananas from where?"  and found this one and started to read the
>comments and lo and behold - Busby had to attack U-238.  I do wonder
>who pay him to continue to push an issue that should have died long
>ago.  Doug Weir of the ICBUW says that it is in no way influenced by
>Busby and thus had no need of knowing about his Japan scam.
>
>midway through the comments at
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15288975
>
>"Bananas are radioactive because they contain some Potassium-40. So do
>many things. But the reason this idea is absurd is that different
>radioisotopes exist which have different biological affinities.
>Potassium is uniformly distributed in the body and so can be compared
>with external radiation. Not so substances like Strontium-90 and
>Uranium 238 or Plutonium 239 which have high affinity to DNAS and so
>can deliver their energy where it is effective is causing mutation.
>Almost all of the potassium 40 radiation is wasted.:"
>
>Prof Chris Busby, Aberystwyth
>
>Doesn't say Visiting Assistant Prof, but Prof to make it clear to the
>public that this person is really an expert.

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