What's New?
.	NRC Chairman Resigns
.	NAS Report on Future Workforce Needs
.	Hodes Award Nominations Request
.	Radiation Risks and Protective Actions
.	June Journal
.	IAEA Conference - Rad Protection in Medicine
.	HPS Mentoring Program Update
.	New Low-Level Waste Site Operational
.	May Newsletter
.	America's Nuclear Future Report

Upcoming Events
.	Canadian Radiation Protection Association Annual Meeting 27-30 May 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
.	ACS Undergrad Summer Schools 10 June - 20 July 2012
.	NRC Meeting Webcasts May-June 2012
.	57th Annual HPS Meeting 22-26 July 2012 Sacramento, CA
.	37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) 14-17 Oct 2012 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
.	International Conference on Radiation Shielding 2-7 Nov 2012 Nara, Japan

24 May 2012

Answer to Question #4219 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Radiation Basics — Radiation Quantities and Units

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

How do you convert gauss to millisieverts?

The units of gauss (G) and millisieverts (mSv) relate to different quantities and are not interconvertible. The unit of gauss refers to the strength of a magnetic field and is equal to 0.0001 tesla, one tesla being equivalent to 1 newton per ampere per meter. The millisievert is 0.001 sieverts; the sievert (Sv) is a unit of dose equivalent (referred to as equivalent dose under current ICRP recommendations) that is used to relate the biological dose impact of ionizing radiation. It has the same SI dimensions as a related quantity, absorbed dose (joules per kilogram), and derives from absorbed dose when the latter is multiplied by a radiation weighting factor (previously referred to as a quality factor), a dimensionless factor that describes the relative effectiveness of the ionizing radiation type of interest in producing biological damage. Thus, 1 Sv = 1 joule per kilogram, and when the radiation weighting factor is equal to unity, as it is for x rays, gamma rays, and beta radiation, the dose equivalent is equal to the absorbed dose. Magnetic fields fall into the overall category of nonionizing radiations, and we do not currently have a system of dose units for them comparable to that used for ionizing radiation.

George Chabot, PhD, CHP

Answer posted on 26 January 2005. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.