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Radiation Dose Converter (Gy → Sv, Bq ↔ Ci)

Turn absorbed dose (Gy, rad) into equivalent dose (Sv, rem) with ICRP 103 radiation weighting factors, and convert activity units — kept apart.

Equivalent dose

20 Sv

Millisieverts
20,000 mSv
Rem
2,000 rem
Millirem
2,000,000 mrem
Radiation weighting factor wR
20
Absorbed dose
1 Gy = 100 rad

Equivalent dose for alpha particles, fission fragments, heavy ions with ICRP 103's wR = 20. It is not effective (whole-body) dose, which also needs tissue weighting factors.

Show the work

  1. Weighting factor for alpha particles, fission fragments, heavy ions

    wR from ICRP 103 Table 2

    20

  2. Equivalent dose: absorbed dose × weighting factor

    H = D × wR

    1 Gy × 20 = 20 Sv

For general information only — not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or other qualified professional about your health.

How it works

Equivalent dose H (Sv) = wR × D (Gy), with wR from ICRP Publication 103: photons, electrons and muons 1; protons and charged pions 2; alpha particles, fission fragments and heavy ions 20; neutrons a smooth function of energy. 1 Gy = 100 rad, 1 Sv = 100 rem, 1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ Bq (exact).

Gives equivalent dose for one radiation type. Effective dose (whole-body risk) also needs tissue weighting factors, which are not included. Activity (decays per second) can't be turned into a dose without the nuclide, distance, shielding and time, so the two are converted separately. Unit factors: NIST SP 811.

Questions

How does the radiation dose converter work?
Equivalent dose H (Sv) = wR × D (Gy), with wR from ICRP Publication 103: photons, electrons and muons 1; protons and charged pions 2; alpha particles, fission fragments and heavy ions 20; neutrons a smooth function of energy. 1 Gy = 100 rad, 1 Sv = 100 rem, 1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ Bq (exact).
What does it assume?
Gives equivalent dose for one radiation type. Effective dose (whole-body risk) also needs tissue weighting factors, which are not included. Activity (decays per second) can't be turned into a dose without the nuclide, distance, shielding and time, so the two are converted separately. Unit factors: NIST SP 811.
Why are gray and sievert different?
Gray is energy absorbed per kilogram. Sievert weights it by how harmful the radiation type is — 1 Gy of alpha particles counts as 20 Sv, 1 Gy of gamma rays as 1 Sv.
Can I convert becquerels to sieverts?
Not directly. Becquerels count decays; the dose they cause depends on the nuclide, distance, shielding and exposure time.

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