Radioactivity:

Unstable atomic nuclei will spontaneously decompose to form nuclei with a higher stability. The decomposition process is called radioactivity. The energy and particles which are released during the decomposition process are called radiation. When unstable nuclei decompose in nature, the process is referred to as natural radioactivity. When the unstable nuclei are prepared in the laboratory, the decomposition is called induced radioactivity. The curie (symbol Ci) is a non-SI unit of radioactivity, named after Marie and Pierre Curie.[1][2] It is defined as 1 Ci = 3.7 1010 decays per second. 1 Ci = 3.7 10
10

Bq = 37 GBq

Absorbed dose:
Absorbed dose (also known as total ionizing dose, TID) is a measure of the energy deposited in a medium by ionizing radiation per unit mass. It is equal to the energy deposited per unit mass of medium, which may be measured as joules per kilogram and represented by the equivalent SI unit, gray (Gy), or the antiquated CGS units, rad and rep. The absorbed dose depends not only on the incident radiation but also on the absorbing material: a soft X-ray beam may deposit four times more dose in bone than in air, or none at all in a vacuum. The absorbed dose alone is not an adequate indicator of the likely health effects in humans. Consideration must also be given to the type of radiation, the dose rate, the affected tissues, and other factors. For example, 1 Gy of alpha radiation would carry a much greater risk of cancer than 1 Gy of photon radiation. Further calculation can be performed to find the equivalent dose for whole body external exposure, the effective dose for partial body external exposure, or the committed dose for internal exposures. These adjusted doses, measured in units of sievert (Sv) or rem, are much more representative of the stochastic risks to human health. One gray is the absorption of one joule of energy, in the form of ionizing radiation, per kilogram of matter.

Effective dose
The Effective Dose is obtained by taking the Equivalent Dose (Dose Equivalent ) and multiplying by a Tissue Weighting Factor which relates to the organs / tissues under consideration. Effective Dose can therefore also be considered a doubly weighted Absorbed Dose since it takes into account the type of radiation (radiation weighting factor) and the target organ / tissue. The quantity can be used to express Detriment to the whole body as a summation of several different doses of radiation with varying radiation weighting factors (radiation type) and targets.

Equivalent Dose
Equivalent Dose (can be refererd to as Dose Equivalent ) is a quantity which takes into effect 'radiation quality', which relates to the degree to which a type of Ionising Radiation will produce biological damage. Equivalent Dose is obtained by multiplying the Absorbed Dose by a Radiation Weighting Factor or Quality Factor if Dose Equivalent is used . The resulting quantity can then be expressed numerically in Sieverts (Sv) or in the old units of Rem . The quantity is independent of the absorbing material (i.e. tissue).

Radiation

Energy

WR (formerly Q)

x-rays, gamma rays, beta rays, muons

neutrons

< 1 MeV

2.5 + 18.2e-[ln(E)]/6

1 MeV - 50 MeV 5.0 + 17.0e-[ln(2E)]/6

> 50 MeV

2.5 + 3.25e-[ln(0.04E)]/6

protons, charged pions

alpha rays, Nuclear fission products, heavy nuclei

20

where HT is the equivalent dose absorbed by tissue T DT,R is the absorbed dose in tissue T by radiation type R WR is the radiation weighting factor defined by regulation Thus for example, an absorbed dose of 1 Gy by alpha particles will lead to an equivalent dose of 20 Sv.