radioactivity levels in foods

Every food has some small amount of radioactivity in it. The common radionuclides in food are potassium 40 (⁴⁰K), radium 226 (²²⁶Ra) and uranium 238 (²³⁸U) and the associated progeny. Here is a table of some of the common foods and their levels of ⁴⁰K and ²²⁶Ra.

Natural Radioactivity in Food

Food	40K pCi/kg	226Ra pCi/kg
Banana	3,520	1
Brazil Nuts	5,600	1,000-7,000
Carrot	3,400	0.6-2
White Potatoes	3,400	1-2.5
Beer	390	---
Red Meat	3,000	0.5
Lima Bean raw	4,640	2-5
Drinking water	---	0-0.17