Table I
Quality Factors and Absorbed Dose Equivalents
Type of radiation | Quality factor (Q) | Absorbed dose equal to a unit dose equivalent a |
X, gamma, or beta radiation and high-speed electrons | 1 | 1 |
Alpha particles, multiple-charged particles, fission fragments and heavy particles of unknown charge | 20 | 0.05 |
Neutrons or unknown energy | 10 | 0.1 |
High-energy protons | 10 | 0.1 |
a Absorbed dose in rad equal to 1 rem or the absorbed dose in gray equal to1 Sv.
Table II
Mean Quality Factors, Q, and Fluence per Unit Dose Equivalent for Monoenergetic Neutrons
Neutron energy (MeV) | Quality factor a | Fluence per unit dose equivalent b | Fluence per unit dose equivalent b |
(thermal) 2.5 × 108 | 2 | 980 × 106 | 980 × 108 |
1 × 107 | 2 | 980 × 106 | 980 × 108 |
1 × 106 | 2 | 810 × 106 | 810 × 108 |
1 × 105 | 2 | 810 × 106 | 810 × 108 |
1 × 104 | 2 | 840 × 106 | 840 × 108 |
1 × 103 | 2 | 980 × 106 | 980 × 108 |
1 × 102 | 2.5 | 1010 × 106 | 1010 × 108 |
1 × 101 | 7.5 | 170 × 106 | 170 × 108 |
5 × 101 | 11 | 39 × 106 | 39 × 108 |
1 | 11 | 27 × 106 | 27 × 188 |
2.5 | 9 | 29 × 106 | 29 × 108 |
5 | 8 | 23 × 106 | 23 × 108 |
7 | 7 | 24 × 106 | 24 × 108 |
10 | 6.5 | 24 × 106 | 24 × 108 |
14 | 7.5 | 17 × 106 | 17 × 108 |
20 | 8 | 16 × 106 | 16 × 108 |
40 | 7 | 14 × 106 | 14 × 108 |
60 | 5.5 | 16 × 106 | 16 × 108 |
1 × 102 | 4 | 20 × 106 | 20 × 108 |
2 × 102 | 3.5 | 19 × 106 | 19 × 108 |
3 × 102 | 3.5 | 16 × 106 | 16 × 108 |
4 × 102 | 3.5 | 14 × 106 | 14 × 108 |
a Value of quality factor (Q) at the point where the dose equivalent is maximum in a 30-cm diameter cylinder tissue-equivalent phantom.
b Monoenergetic neutrons incident normally on a 30-cm diameter cylinder tissue-equivalent phantom.
175 (grams contained U-235)/350+ 50 (grams U-233)/200+ 50 (grams Pu)/200 = 1
Organ Dose Weighting Factors
Organ or tissue | WT |
Gonads | 0.25 |
Breast | 0.15 |
Red Bone Marrow | 0.12 |
Lung | 0.12 |
Thyroid | 0.03 |
Bone Surfaces | 0.03 |
Remainder | 0.30 a |
Whole Body | 1.00 b |
a 0.30 results from 0.06 for each of five "remainder" organs, excluding the skin and the lens of the eye, that receive the highest doses.
b For purposes of weighting the external whole body dose, for adding it to the internal dose, a single weighting factor, W T = 1.0, has been specified. The use of other weighting factors for external exposure will be approved on a case-by-case basis until such time as specific guidance is issued.
Footnotes
3 At very high doses received at high dose rates, units of absorbed dose, gray and rad, are appropriate, rather than units of dose equivalent, sievert and rem.
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 10 § 16.2