What is the quality factor for X-ray, gamma, or beta radiation?

What is the quality factor for X-ray, gamma, or beta radiation?

• A. 2
• B. 10
• C. 1
• D. 5

Answer: (C)

Equivalent dose takes into account how different kinds of radiation cause biological damage by using a radiation weighting factor. For X-ray, gamma, and beta radiation, this weighting factor is 1, meaning the energy deposited per unit mass has the same biological impact as the reference radiation. In practice, the equivalent dose equals the absorbed dose when Wr is 1, so these radiations have a quality factor of 1. This reflects their relatively less dense ionization tracks compared with heavier charged particles like alpha particles, which have a much higher weighting factor (around 20).

Equivalent dose takes into account how different kinds of radiation cause biological damage by using a radiation weighting factor. For X-ray, gamma, and beta radiation, this weighting factor is 1, meaning the energy deposited per unit mass has the same biological impact as the reference radiation. In practice, the equivalent dose equals the absorbed dose when Wr is 1, so these radiations have a quality factor of 1. This reflects their relatively less dense ionization tracks compared with heavier charged particles like alpha particles, which have a much higher weighting factor (around 20).