Which SI unit is used to report equivalent dose?

The correct response is Sievert (Sv), which is the SI unit used to express equivalent dose. Equivalent dose takes into account the biological effect of different types of radiation on human tissue. It quantifies the risk associated with exposure to radiation by incorporating a quality factor that reflects the effectiveness of the radiation type in causing biological harm.

This is crucial for assessing radiation safety standards, as different types of radiation (like alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays) have varying potentials to cause damage to tissue. The Sievert provides a way to standardize these differences, allowing a direct comparison of the risks associated with different sources of radiation.

In contrast, Gray (Gy) is the SI unit for absorbed dose and measures the amount of energy deposited by radiation per unit mass of tissue, but it does not account for the biological effects of that energy. The Rad and Rem are older, non-SI units for absorbed dose and equivalent dose, respectively, and are now largely replaced by Gray and Sievert in scientific and regulatory contexts.