[ RadSafe ] Meaning of Rem?

[Delvan Neville]

That's a holdover from the age of the terminology.  Originally one rem was
defined as "a relevant biological effect equal to that produced by one
roentgen" for x-rays, and there was the 'rep' (roentgen equivalent
physical) for radiations other than photons that then combined with an RBE
to get rem. In the mid-50s ICRP suggested the use of the rad instead of the
rep, and the definition of the rem changed to being the product of rad *
RBE instead of the old definition that tied it directly to one roentgen.

Delvan Neville
Corvallis, OR

On Fri, Nov 10, 2017 at 11:07 AM Strickert, Rick (Consultant) <
rstrickert at signaturescience.com> wrote:

> Why does "rem" stand for "roentgen equivalent man"?   The roentgen is an
> unit of gamma exposure in air.   Wouldn't the rem better stand for "rad
> equivalent man" given the rem included the Biological Quality Factor?
>
> Rick Strickert
> Austin, TX
>
>
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