sievert

Chemistry

(noun)

The derived SI unit of radiation dose that is a measure of the health effect of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body. Symbol: Sv.

Related Terms

(noun)

The amount of 1 joule of radiation energy deposited in 1 kilogram of human tissue.

Related Terms

Physics

(noun)

in the International System of Units, the derived unit of radiation dose; the dose received in one hour at a distance of 1 cm from a point source of 1 mg of radium in a 0.5 mm thick platinum enclosure; symbol: Sv

Related Terms

Examples of sievert in the following topics:

  • Measuring Radiation Exposure

    • Dose is reported in gray (Gy) for matter or sieverts (Sv) for biological tissue, where 1 Gy or 1 Sv is equal to 1 joule per kilogram.
    • Define the terms used to define radiation exposure, the gray (Gy) and sievert (Sv)

  • Dosimetry

    • Dose is reported in grays (Gy) for absorbed doses or sieverts (Sv) for dose equivalents, where 1 Gy or 1 Sv is equal to 1 joule per kilogram.
    • The weighting factor for the whole body is 1, such that 1 Gy of radiation delivered to the whole body is equal to one sievert.

  • Increased Cancer Risk from Radiation

    • The most widely accepted model posits that the incidence of cancer due to ionizing radiation increases linearly with effective radiation dose at a rate of 5.5 percent per sievert.