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Gray (Gy)

One of the two units used to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by an object or person, known as the "absorbed dose," which reflects the amount of energy that radioactive sources (with any type of ionizing radiation) deposit in materials (e.g., water, tissue, air) through which they pass. One gray (Gy) is the international system of units (SI) equivalent of 100 rads, which is equal to an absorbed dose of 1 Joule/kilogram. An absorbed dose of 0.01 Gy means that 1 gram of material absorbed 100 ergs of energy (a small but measurable amount) as a result of exposure to radiation. For additional information, see Doses in Our Daily Lives and Measuring Radiation.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Tuesday, March 09, 2021