Dose Equivalent

Because the different types of radiation cause differing degrees of biological damage to living tissue, another unit is needed to reflect this difference. This unit is called the dose equivalent and is used to indicate the actual biological effects to a living organism. The rem and sievert (Sv) are the units used to identify the dose equivalent and are the units most commonly used for radiation protection purposes. The relationship between the rad, rem, and Sv is as follows:

rem = rad x quality factor
also,
1 sievert = 100 rems

For practical purposes, the rad is equal to the rem for betas, gammas and x-rays in soft tissue.

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