Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Are bananas radioactive?
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
A bunch of four ripe yellow bananas with green tips, isolated on a white background. Potassium-39
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
A bunch of four ripe yellow bananas with green tips, isolated on a white background.
Radioactive bananas? Bananas are high in potassium, making them radioactive.

Are bananas radioactive?

Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

While it might seem like an oxymoron, bananas are a healthy—and radioactive—snack. As it turns out, those two facts are closely connected, as it is the fruit’s abundance of potassium that makes it radioactive. Potassium is an essential nutrient that helps nerves, muscles, and the heart function properly. Most potassium atoms are a stable form known as potassium-39, containing 19 protons and 20 neutrons. A tiny fraction—about 0.01 percent—is made up of atoms of a...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile