Computed Tomography Technologist Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

The effective dose is a key concept in radiation protection, representing a risk assessment metric used to account for the biological effect of radiation exposure on human health. The correct answer reflects how the effective dose is derived by considering the varying sensitivities of different organs and tissues to radiation.

Specifically, the effective dose takes into account the exposure of each organ to radiation and applies a weighting factor that reflects each organ's relative sensitivity to radiation-induced harm. This method acknowledges that not all organs are equally susceptible to damage from radiation. By using a weighted average of organ doses, it allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the potential risk posed by radiation exposure — particularly important when considering partial-body exposure scenarios as influenced by historical data, such as studies on atomic bomb survivors, which inform the weighting factors used.

This approach ensures that the effective dose provides a more accurate representation of the potential health risks associated with radiation exposure. In contrast, the other listed options do not account for the tissue-specific effects or fail to include the necessary risk factor adjustments, which are crucial for a proper assessment of radiation risk.