Re:Looking for sources.

["Neil, David M" <NEILDM@inel.gov>]

     sources for the dose (miniscule though it might be) from ingesting a
     banana or potato.
     Troy D. Taylor                    Idaho State University
     Health Physicist                  Technical Safety Office

     Dr Gesell (at ISU) had that info for potatoes in the class handouts
     for Radiological and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (PHY 605)
     - I used it in a take-home essay question.  Here is an excerpt of the
     pertainent passage.

     ...
        Or perhaps I should note that a certain consumer product will
     produce equivalent dose rates from consumption.  That product, sir, is
     Idaho potatoes!  Continued potato consumption will produce an internal
     exposure of 1.91 x 10 -5 rem per year to a person who does this, much
     in line with your quotation of 3.53 x 10 -5 rem over the life of the
     project (several years).  Shall we then announce a moratorium on
     shipment, production, and consumption of this deadly tuber?  And the
     data for wheat is much the same.  This exposure goes on day in and day
     out until long after the consumer has eaten his final potato, since
     the biological half-life for the cesium-137 in the potato is about a
     third of a year.
     ...

     E-mail me for the full text if you want.

     I saw a semi-humorous piece on 'Banana Equivalent Dose' but don't have
     it to quote.

     Dave Neil
     neildm@inel.gov