Quality factor

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-009735",
  "term": "Quality factor",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A dimensionless value used in dosimetry that relates the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation to the biological effect on human tissue. It accounts for the fact that different types of radiation cause different degrees of biological damage for the same amount of energy deposited. For instance, the quality factor for alpha particles is 20, whereas for X-rays, gamma rays, and beta particles it is defined as 1.",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "absorbed dose",
    "dose equivalent",
    "linear energy transfer"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1982, 54, 1533. 'Glossary of terms used in nuclear analytical chemistry (Provisional)' on page 1549 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198254081533)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/quality-factor/"
}