Radiation Protection Glossary
A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.
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For formal advice, see our Radiation Protection Adviser pages.
Q
Quality Factor
The Quality Factor is used to modify the Absorbed Dose in Gray (Gy) by multiplying to obtain a quantity called the Equivalent Dose (Sv). It is used because some types of radiation, such as Alpha Particles, are more biologically damaging internally than other types such as the Beta Particle. The factor is determined by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and is the same basic quantity as the Radiation weighting factor as defined by the ICRP.
The Quality Factor is used to modify the Absorbed Dose in Gray (Gy) by multiplying to obtain a quantity called the Equivalent Dose (Sv). It is used because some types of radiation, such as Alpha Particles, are more biologically damaging internally than other types such as the Beta Particle. The factor is determined by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and is the same basic quantity as the Radiation weighting factor as defined by the ICRP.
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