3 ms·
But 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 understa
by mcherm 16y ago
But 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.