Banana-stasis -Reply

[FRAMEP@ORAU.GOV]

Gary: 

Forgive me but I too couldn't resist having a little fun with this
topic. In fact, having convinced myself that no additional dose would
be incurred, I went home and had a banana :^) 

>I am sure that the dose conversion factor listed in FGR #11 takes
>this natural turnover of potassium into account (it would dictate
>the biological clearance rate constant.)  

True (its a 30 day half life simple exponential), but I believe the
ICRP, and hence the FGR, assume that the intake is of pure K-40
rather than natural potassium. As such, the K-40 concentration in the
body would go up even if the total potassium content went unchanged.
This would not occur with a banana. 

>The point is that just because you can calculate a radiation dose
>associated with something, doesn't mean that you are going to die
>from it.  

Absolutely, after all, almost everything is radioactive, the question
is "how radioactive is it".

Best wishes

Paul Frame

"I am not bound to please thee with my answer".  Shylock in the
Merchant of Venice.