The maximum permissible workday dose for occupational exposure to radiation is 26 mrem. A 63 kg laboratory technician absorbs 2.1 mJ of 0.7 MeV gamma rays in a work day. The quality factor (QF) for gamma rays is 1.0. The ratio of the equivalent dosage received by the technician to the maximum permissible equivalent dosage is closest to:

Question

The maximum permissible workday dose for occupational exposure to radiation is 26 mrem. A 63 kg laboratory technician absorbs 2.1 mJ of 0.7 MeV gamma rays in a work day. The quality factor (QF) for gamma rays is 1.0. The ratio of the equivalent dosage received by the technician to the maximum permissible equivalent dosage is closest to:

Answer 1

To find the ratio of the equivalent dosage received by the technician to the maximum permissible equivalent dosage, we need to calculate both values.

First, let's find the equivalent dosage received by the technician:

Equivalent dose (H) = absorbed dose (D) × quality factor (QF)

Given:
Absorbed dose (D) = 2.1 mJ = 2.1 × 10^(-3) J
Quality factor (QF) = 1.0

H = D × QF
H = 2.1 × 10^(-3) J × 1.0
H = 2.1 × 10^(-3) J

Now, let's find the maximum permissible equivalent dosage:
Maximum permissible equivalent dosage = 26 mrem

To convert mrem to J:
1 J = 10^6 mrem
Therefore, 26 mrem = 26 × 10^(-6) J = 26 × 10^(-6) × 10^(-3) J = 26 × 10^(-9) J

Now, we can calculate the ratio:

Ratio = H / (Maximum permissible equivalent dosage)
Ratio = (2.1 × 10^(-3) J) / (26 × 10^(-9) J)

Simplifying the ratio:
Ratio = (2.1 / 26) × 10^(3+9)
Ratio ≈ 0.080769 × 10^(12)
Ratio ≈ 8.0769 × 10^(10)

Therefore, the ratio of the equivalent dosage received by the technician to the maximum permissible equivalent dosage is approximately 8.0769 × 10^(10).