Sieverts

Sieverts measure the amount of energy emitted by the radiation per a given amount of
tissue mass. This is one of the most commonly used units when discussing the harmful
effects of the radiation on people and animals. For example, a generally fatal dose for
people is about 4 sieverts (Sv). A person may still be saved if treated quickly, but a dose
of 8 Sv is lethal. Generally people absorb much smaller doses of radiation, therefore
often millisieverts and microsieverts are used. 1 millisievert is 0.001 Sv, and 1
microsievert is 0.000001 Sv.

Banana Equivalent Dose

A banana equivalent dose equals to 0.1 microsieverts
A banana equivalent dose equals to 0.1 microsieverts
Banana equivalent dose (BED) units are used to measure the amount of radiation that
the body absorbs after eating one banana. A banana equivalent dose can also be
expressed in sieverts, it equals to 0.1 microsieverts. Bananas are used because they
contain potassium-40, a radioactive isotope that naturally occurs in some foods. Some
examples in BED include: a dental X-ray is similar to eating 500 bananas; a
mammogram is equivalent to eating 4000 bananas; and a fatal dose of radiation is like
eating 80 million bananas.