Ionizing radiation units

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Please improve this article if you can. (January 2007)

Radiation Measurement Units - International System (SI)

Contents

[edit] Activity of an isotope or material

1 curie = 37 billion disintegrations per second. ==


1 curie (Ci) = 37 gigabecquerel (GBq) 1 gigabecquerel (GBq)=27 millicurie (mCi)

[edit] Radiation Absorbed Dose (rad)

A dose of 1 rad means the absorption of 100 ergs of radiation energy per gram of material


1 rad (rad) = 10 milligray (mGy)

1 milligray (mGy) = 100 millirad (mrad)

A unit of exposure to ionizing radiation. Only used by well trained personnel.

[edit] The amount of gamma or x-rays required to produce ions carrying 1 electrostatic unit ef electrical charge (either positive or negative) in 1 cc of dry air under standard conditions.

1 roentgen (R) = 258 microcoulomb/kg (mC/kg)

1 millicoulomb/kg mC/kg = 3876 milliroentgen (mR)

[edit] Roentgen Equivalent Man (rem)

1 rem (rem) = 10 millisievert (mSv)

1 millisievert (mSv) = 100 millirem (mrem)

[edit] Counts Per Minute (CPM)

Used for alpha particles, beta particles or mixed gamma/beta, gamma/alpha, alpha/beta actual counts per minute. Counts per minute can also be useful when detector efficiency is in question. Like when a scintillator is designed to detect the 0.013 mev photons from 238U and one is measuring the 1.146 mev photons from 40K, The units cannot be easyly converted to roentgen's so CPM is a more appropriate unit under these conditions.

[edit] Roentgen Equivalent Physical (rep)

An obsolete unit of absorbed dose of any ionizing radiation with a magnitude of 93 ergs per gram. It has been superseded by the rad.

[edit] References

Rad pro calculator. http://www.radprocalculator.com/

Metric units and conversion charts, A metrication handbook for engineers, technologist, and scientist. By Theodore Wildi. ISBN 0-7803-1050-0, IEEE order Number: PP4044.

[edit] See also