Roentgen equivalent for man

Because of the differences in the behavior of the particles and rays produced by radioactive decay, both the energy dose of the radiation and its effectiveness in causing biological damage must be taken into account. The rem (which is short for roentgen equivalent for man) is defined as follows ... 

Rem a unit of radiation dosage that accounts for both the energy of the dose and its effectiveness in causing biological damage (from roentgen equivalent for man). 

Rem rem A measure of the energy absorbed in matter as a result of exposure to specific forms of radiation. This unit takes into account the fact that different forms of radiation produce different biological effects. 1 rem is equal to 1 rad times a factor dependent on the type of radiation, rem = roentgen equivalent for man. 

Ans. To measure the relative biological damage induced by radiation, the rad is multiplied by a factor known as the RBE, or relative biological effectiveness. The exact value of the RBE depends uf)on the type of tissue irradiated, the dose rate, and total dose, but it is approximately 1 for x-rays, y-rays, and /3-rays, and 10 for a-rays, protons, and neutrons. The product, rads x RBE = rems roentgen equivalent for man). 

The exact value of the RBE varies with dose rate, total dose, and type of tissue affected. The product of the radiation dose in rads and the RBE of the radiation give the effective dosage in rem (roentgen equivalent for man) ... 

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