Effective half life

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-003587",
  "term": "Effective half life",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "The time required for the total amount of a radioactive substance in a biological system to decrease to half its initial value, considering both radioactive decay and biological elimination. This value is shorter than or equal to both the physical half-life (radioactive decay) and the biological half-life (biological elimination). It is calculated using the formula 1/T_eff = 1/T_phys + 1/T_biol, where T_eff is the effective half-life, T_phys is the physical half-life, and T_biol is the biological half-life.",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "radioactive",
    "radioactive decay"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1994, 66, 2513. 'Nomenclature for radioanalytical chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)' on page 2520 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199466122513)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/effective-half-life/"
}