Radiation weighting factor
A dimensionless factor by which the organ or tissue absorbed dose component of a radiation type R is multiplied to reflect the relative biological effectiveness of that radiation type. It is used to derive the organ equivalent dose from the mean absorbed dose in an organ or tissue.
ICRP Publication 130, 2015
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Previous glossary entries
from ICRP Publication 136, 2017
A practical method (function or numerical value) used to represent relative biological effectiveness for a specific type of radiation based on existing scientific knowledge and adopted by consensus or via recommendations. Within the system of human radiological protection it is used to define and derive the equivalent dose from the mean absorbed dose in an organ or tissue.
from ICRP Publication 127, 2014 and ICRP Publication 139, 2018
A dimensionless factor by which the organ or tissue absorbed dose is multiplied to reflect the higher biological effectiveness of high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiations compared with low-LET radiations. It is used to derive the equivalent dose from the absorbed dose averaged over a tissue or organ.
from ICRP Publication 123, 2013
A dimensionless factor by which the mean absorbed dose in an organ or tissue, DT, is multiplied to reflect the relative biological effectiveness of high-LET radiations compared with low-LET radiations. The product of wR and DT is the equivalent dose in the organ or tissue T.
from ICRP Publication 119, 2012
The radiation weighting factor is a dimensionless factor to derive the equivalent dose from the absorbed dose averaged over a tissue or organ, and is based on the quality of the radiation.
from ICRP Publication 116, 2010 and ICRP Publication 120, 2012
A dimensionless factor by which the organ or tissue absorbed dose is multiplied to reflect the relative biological effectiveness of high-LET radiations compared with photon radiations. It is used to derive the equivalent dose from the mean absorbed dose in an organ or tissue.
from ICRP Publication 103, 2007
A dimensionless factor by which the organ or tissue absorbed dose is multiplied to reflect the higher biological effectiveness of high-LET radiations compared with low-LET radiations. It is used to derive the equivalent dose from the absorbed dose averaged over a tissue or organ.