A factor that is used to express the relative amount of biological change caused by a unit of energy deposited by a particular type of ionizing radiation into a specific part of the body. The RBE is complex and organ-specific. Due to its complexity, a simple parameter, called the quality factor, is applied to different types of radiation as a matter of regulatory practice for the purpose of estimating biological damage and the resulting cancer risk.

An adjustment factor used to qualify an absorbed dose to account for its relative potential to do damage in biologic tissues. RBE is standardized to effects caused by x rays of a standard energy.

a factor that measures the relative effectiveness of various kinds of radiation in causing damage. It is complex and organ-specific. Due to its complexity, a simple parameter, called the quality factor, is used in regulatory practice.