radiation dose

The total amount of ionizing radiation absorbed by material or tissues, expressed in centigrays. The term “radiation dose” is often used in the sense of the exposure dose (expressed in roentgens), which is a measure of the total amount of ionization that the quantity of radiation could produce in air. This could be distinguished from the absorbed dose (expressed in rads), which represents the energy absorbed from the radiation per gram of specified body tissue. Further, the biological dose (expressed in rems) is a measure of the biological effectiveness of the exposure.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.