dose equivalent

American  

noun

Physics.

1. a unit that quantifies the biological effectiveness of an absorbed dose of ionizing radiation, obtained by multiplying the absorbed dose by dimensionless factors that account for the kind of radiation, its energy, and the nature of the absorber: measured in Sievert or rem.

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dose equivalent British  

noun

1. a quantity that expresses the probability that exposure to ionizing radiation will cause biological effects. It is usually obtained by multiplying the dose by the quality factor of the radiation, but other factors may be considered. It is measured in sieverts (SI unit) or rems

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Example Sentences

“Our initial assessment shows that a person would have to spend approximately 20 hours on an elevated area to receive a dose equivalent to one dental X-ray.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2024

In the company’s phase III clinical trial, participants gradually ramped up their dose, beginning at under one-500th of a peanut and flattening out at a maintenance dose equivalent to about one peanut.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 13, 2019

Twenty-one workers were exposed to low levels of radioactivity, the highest dose equivalent to that from a chest X-ray.

From Nature • Jan. 12, 2016

By 2007, the company set a goal of getting the annual radiation at each Fukushima reactor to about 2.5 sieverts, a more manageable dose equivalent to about 250 CT scans for workers.

From Reuters • Jul. 26, 2011