Sievert Nuclear Regulatory Commission permits the use of the units curie, rad, and rem alongside SI units, the European Union European units of measurement directives required that their use for "public health ... purposes" be phased out by 31 December 1985. An older unit for the dose equivalent is the rem, still often used in the United States. One sievert is equal to 100 rem: Sievert The sievert (symbol: Sv) is a derived unit of ionizing radiation dose in the International System of Units (SI) and is a measure of the health effect of low levels of ionizing radiation on the
Electromagnetic radiation and health Electromagnetic radiation and health Electromagnetic radiation can be classified into two types: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation, based on the capability of a single photon with more than 10 eV energy to ionize oxygen or break chemical bonds. Ultraviolet and higher frequencies, such as X-rays or gamma rays are ionizing, and these pose their own special hazards: see "radiation" and "radiation poisoning". By far the most common health hazard of radiation is sunburn, which causes over one million new skin cancers annually. Very strong radiation can induce current capable of delivering an electric shock to persons or animals. It can