4 ms·
I propose a larger unit of measure: the Chernobyl Sheep Equivalent Dose. This is based on a 50kg sheep at the upper allowable limit of 1000 Becquerels per kg.
by by 16y ago
I propose a larger unit of measure: the Chernobyl Sheep Equivalent Dose. This is based on a 50kg sheep at the upper allowable limit of 1000 Becquerels per kg.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster_effects#Food_restrictions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster_effects#Food...
Converting our Banana Equivalent Dose of 520 picocuries.
1 Bq (Becquerel) = one radioactive decay per second.
1 Ci (Curie) = 3.7 * 10^10 Bq.
520 picocuries = 520 * 10^-12 Ci = 19.2 Bq.
Our 50kg sheep = 50 * 1000 = 50000 Bq.
1 Chernobyl Sheep Equivalent Dose = 2600 Banana Equivalent Doses.
Hopefully I got my sums right.
- mcherm 16y agoBut that undermines the main point, which is to allow non-experts to evaluate the risks by using units they can understand. The general public does not understand Chernobyl Sheep; they DO understand bananas. If you say a leak was the equivalent of 200 bananas, then people can tell whether that's a reasonably size to be seriously concerned about.
- soyelmango 16y agoAnd depending on how it's reported, it might also be possible that instead of reassuring the general public, reporting radioactivity in banana units might decimate sales of bananas.
- Dove 16y agoIndeed. If people on Hacker News are responding to this news with a newfound fear of bananas (which several comments in this thread seem to indicate), I can only imagine how the general public would react.
- sesqu 16y agoCan they? The BED is radioaction from an ingested banana. I can tell 4 bananas eaten isn't very worrisome, but I've never really seen anyone go above it. I have very little understanding of the effects of eating 200 bananas, besides probably dangerous bloat. 200 BED is just a large number. The BED is great for putting small doses into perspective, but for slightly larger ones I'd need a different frame of reference, such as first lethal dose.