What is the quality factor for X-rays and gamma rays?

The quality factor, also known as the radiation weighting factor, is a numerical value used to account for the differences in biological effectiveness of various types of ionizing radiation. For X-rays and gamma rays, the quality factor is set at 1. This is because they have relatively low biological effectiveness per unit of dose compared to other forms of radiation, such as alpha particles or neutrons, which are more damaging to biological tissues.

The assignment of a quality factor allows for a standardized way to calculate the dose equivalent, which reflects both the amount of radiation absorbed and its potential biological impact. Since X-rays and gamma rays primarily cause photon interactions in matter rather than direct ionization in biological tissues, their lower damage potential results in a quality factor of 1. This is in contrast to other forms of radiation with higher quality factors that reflect their greater potential for causing damage at the same absorbed dose.