Eating popcorn daily does not expose you to a radiation dose comparable to that from bananas in any meaningful or harmful way. While both popcorn and bananas contain trace amounts of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes, the levels are extremely low and not a cause for concern.
Bananas are known to contain potassium-40, a naturally radioactive isotope of potassium. This has led to the popular notion of the “banana equivalent dose,” a playful way to illustrate how small amounts of radiation are present in everyday foods. Popcorn, being a corn product, also contains trace amounts of naturally occurring radioactive elements, but these are minimal and not significantly different from many other common foods.
The radiation from potassium-40 in bananas is very low and harmless; eating a banana daily does not pose any radiation risk. Similarly, popcorn’s radiation content is negligible and does not accumulate to any dangerous level even if consumed daily. The human body is well adapted to handle these tiny amounts of natural radiation without any adverse effects.
The idea that eating popcorn daily equals the radiation dose from bananas is a misunderstanding or exaggeration. Both foods contain natural radioisotopes, but the radiation doses involved are so small that they are effectively harmless. The body’s natural processes and the low levels of radioactivity mean that eating these foods regularly is safe.
In short, the radiation dose from eating popcorn daily is not equivalent to, nor does it exceed, the radiation dose from eating bananas daily. Both are examples of how natural radioactivity is present in many foods but at levels that are not a health concern.