I’m Chuck Zukowski, and I’m Radioactive!
Comedian Steve Martin once said during one of his earlier comedy routines, “Oh, I remember, I’m radioactive”, but was he joking? Well in case you didn’t know, in fact, we’re all radioactive.
Now I’m not talking about dangerous radiation from gamma-rays or uranium, but harmless radioactive elements that we ingest and absorb and generate too!
U.S. Department of Energy:
All elements on the periodic table have isotopes, or forms of the same element that contain different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. Some isotopes are stable, but others are unstable, meaning they’re radioactive and release high-energy waves or particles.
Many isotopes and radioactive elements are all around us, naturally occurring in our environment and get into plants and water. So basically every time we eat food or drink water, we may be ingesting very small amounts of radioactive isotopes.
The top 10 most radioactive common foods we tend to eat are: Brazil nuts, Butter beans, Bananas, Potatoes, Carrots, Red meat, Avocados, Beer (oh no!), Water, and Peanut butter. Matter of fact, any food with higher levels of Potassium in it, has radiation.
mcgill.ca Office for Science and Society quote:
Potassium (K) is a widely encountered element with a very small fraction of its atoms, about 0.012%, being radioactive. These K-40 atoms spontaneously decay, releasing electrons (beta radiation) as well as gamma rays. Both of these are capable of doing damage to tissues. However, K-40 is not very radioactive, having a half-life of 1.3 billion years, meaning that only a few thousand atoms decay each second.
Red meat contains a fair amount of potassium probably due to the animal being a ground feeder. Matter of fact, one could say a free grazing animal could have slightly higher levels of radiation in its meat compared to an animal eating let’s say, Purina Cow Chow, because those types of processed animal feed are regulated. A free grazing animal will feed on vegetation from many different soil areas (i.e. pastures) which could have higher levels of potassium in it. Some pastures here in Colorado may also have higher levels of uranium in the soil which could also be absorbed into the vegetation which is eaten by the cows.
So does science show animals on a processed diet may have lower levels of radiation compared to animals on a grass fed diet? I couldn’t find any exact conclusions to that question, but I did find this:
The National Library of Medicine published a paper in 2020 about determining natural radioactivity in products of animals fed with grass for the Kars Region, in Turkey. They determined there was no real negative effects on human health or environment.
Here in the U.S. we also eat irradiated food all the time! The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been zapping certain foods for decades with Gamma rays to make them more safe for eating. The Gamma rays are emitted from the element cobalt or (Cobalt 60) or from the element cesium (Cesium 137).
The foods which have been approved for Gamma blasting are, beef, Pork, lobsters, shrimp, crab, fresh fruits, vegetables, lettuce, spinach, poultry, seeds for sprouting, shell eggs, shellfish, spices, seasonings; Pretty much everything we tend to eat.
But why Gamma Blast our food?
FDA says:
– Prevention of Foodborne Illness, like Salmonella and Escherichia.
– Preservation, to prevent spoilage, decomposition and increase shelf life.
– Control of insects, decreases the need for pest-control products.
– Delay Sprouting or Ripening, increase shelf life.
– Sterilization, for storing without refrigeration, or for people with illnesses.
Will Gamma blasting our food make us more radiated or will it cause cancer?
Quote from FDA.gov:
The FDA has evaluated the safety of irradiated food for more than 30 years and has found the process to be safe. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have also endorsed the safety of irradiated food.
Most anti-food-radiated activists are more concerned about radiated food killing nutrients, and they’re right, Gamma rays can’t tell the difference between what a nutrient is and unwanted organisms. Also I can’t imagine some Gamma rays completely dissipating from the foods before they are consumed. Are we slowly killing ourselves just by eating?
Well, that’s food for thought.
Photo courtesy EPA.gov.
Another way some humans become more radiated than others is by living in areas where Radon Gas is present.
EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency:
Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless and is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. It comes from the breakdown of naturally-occurring radioactive elements (such as uranium and thorium) in soils and rocks. As part of the radioactive decay process, radon gas is produced. The gas moves up through the soil to the surface, where it can enter homes, schools and the workplace through cracks and other holes in the foundation. In some cases, radon can enter buildings through well water and come from building materials. Any home can have a radon problem – old or new homes, well-sealed or drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.
This gas is usually found in unventilated basements here in Colorado and a simple $100 radon meter can tell you if the radioactive gas is present. If gas is present, then a Radon Mitigation system needs to be installed. The Radon Mitigation system basically is a ventilated system that moves air through the basement to the outside through fans and vents, thus decreasing the levels of the gas. Generally the system costs $1200 to $2000 depending on the size of the basement and contractor.
Here in Colorado, Radon is everywhere, but compared to other countries, the overall levels in the USA are much lower. According to the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, “Norway is among the countries in the world where indoor radon reaches its highest concentrations”. About 10% of all buildings in Norway have a concentration higher than the recommended 100 Bq/m3.
Photo courtesy, fixradon.com
Now if you’re getting a little uneasy about learning you’re getting radiated by food or Radon gas, think about this; Our bodies also emit radiation.
Human bodies emit electromagnetic radiation. I’ve already talked about this in one of my previous blogs, “EMF and the Paranormal”.
EMF is an electric and magnetic field that is invisible areas of energy. Categorized by frequency in two groups, (non-ionizing) and (ionizing), the non-ionizing is generally harmless to humans whereas the ionizing can be quite harmful. Our bodies give off non-ionizing frequencies or radiation.
The cells in our bodies conduct electrical currents, this current is required for our nervous system to send signals throughout the body and to the brain. The movement of the electrical current throughout our body is, mainly at the wavelength of 1 to 12 microns, or in the infrared radiation (IR) spectrum.
Infrared radiation (IR), or infrared light, is a type of radiant energy that’s invisible to human eyes. All objects in the universe emit some level of IR radiation. Sometimes the term ‘radiation’ is used to also describe ‘light’ and sometimes versa visa. Even visible light is a form of radiation that can also be defined as energy.
The picture above shows the wavelength of light from Radio to the Gamma spectrum. The Hubble telescope can not only see in the visible light spectrum which is depicted by the rainbow, but by using filters, can also see in some of the infrared and ultraviolet light or radiation spectrum.
When humans give off Infrared Radiation (IR) due to our nervous system, we’re also giving off light, well Infrared light, so we “all” tend to glow.
Humans give off mostly infrared radiation which stated earlier is also electromagnetic radiation and we also give off thermal radiation which is not the same as infrared radiation.
Thermal radiation contains all the electromagnetic waves given off because of its temperature which combines radio waves, infrared waves, and visible light waves. So as a human gets warmer, the peak of its thermal radiation shifts to higher frequencies. Thermal radiation only transports heat which a FLIR camera can pick up.
The thermal radiation and infrared radiation that humans give off is non-ionizing radiation which don’t effect us. We get inundated with all kinds of non-ionizing radiation everyday like from our Sun, trees and rocks. Over time our bodies have absorbed and adapted to the outside natural radiation, one example, converting the Ultra-violet rays from our Sun into heat, or thermal radiation.
Humans are walking, talking sources of radiation who also come in conflict with other outside energy sources. These outside energy source conflicts may make you feel uneasy, sick or even depressed. Energy sources can definitely effect and alter other energy sources, and I see this everyday in my day job, micro-chip design. When we have a sensitive area of a circuit that needs to perform precisely, we have to shield it from non-sensitive areas to maintain exact functionality. The same is true with humans, we are living circuits which can be affected by other living (or non-living ie: ghosts) circuits as well. Maybe this is one of the clues to finding your sole mate or a person you are very comfortable with. Both of your energy sources may be compatible and close to the same wave length or frequency.
It’s all about energy or non-ionizing radiation, and yes, we all emit different energy or sound waves from our body which makes each one of us very unique. If we get angry or scared and our temperatures or adrenalin increases, so does the thermal radiation in our body, and maybe the extra firing of electrons in our cells increases our infrared radiation too! This increase of infrared and thermal radiation definitely increases energy. The old, Flight or Fight scenario, and probably the extra strength scenario needed in emergencies is definitively related to Einstein’s theory, energy = mass, and guess what, “That’s Us”.
Blog info links:
– EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/radiation/where-does-radon-gas-come
– ESA European Space Agency
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Energy_light_radiation_temperature
– NASA.gov
https://www.nasa.gov/content/explore-light
– U.S. Food & Drug
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irradiation-what-you-need-know
– National Library of Medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7181602/
– McGill
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/you-asked/it-true-banana-radioactive#:~:text=Potassium%20(K)%20is%20a%20widely,as%20well%20as%20gamma%20rays.
– Steve Martin
https://www.stevemartin.com/
– livescience.com
https://www.livescience.com/radiation-human-body
– Science Focus:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/top-10-which-are-the-most-radioactive-foods/
– HPS.org
https://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/faqradbods.html#:~:text=Yes%2C%20our%20bodies%20are%20naturally,replenished%20by%20ingestion%20and%20inhalation.
– wtamu.edu
https://www.wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2013/07/17/do-humans-give-off-radiation/
Category: The Z-Files
