SI dose equivalent measure. Symbol: Sv. It is
a unit of biologic dose of ionizing radiation. The Sievert makes it
possible to normalize doses of different types of radiation. It takes
into account the relative biologic effectiveness of ionizing radiation,
since each form of such radiation--e.g., X rays, gamma rays, neutrons--
has a slightly different effect on living tissue for a given absorbed
dose. The dose equivalent of a given type of radiation (in Sievert) is
the dose of the radiation in Gray multiplied by a quality factor that
is based on the relative biologic effectiveness of the radiation.
Accordingly, one Sievert is generally defined as the amount of radiation
roughly equivalent in biologic effectiveness to one Gray of gamma
radiation. Sievert = J/kg = m^2*s^(-2)