"What quality factor"?

This paper discusses the evaluation of dose-equivalent rates in mixed radiation environments such as are found, for example, around a high energy particle accelerator. It is shown that it is not pos sible to evaluate absorbed dose and dose-equivalent rates by any single meas urement, in such complicated environments, with sufficientaccuracy for purposes of radiation protection. This paper studies in detail the problems of evaluating dose equiv alent from measurements of absorbed dose made with a tissue equivalent ionization chamber. USAEC of quality factors for monoenergetic neutrons as a function of neutron energy, but no for spanning energy range reac tors. This work indicates the potential errors which may be made in estimating dose equivalent when making absorbed dose measurements and assuming a single value of quality factor. Knowledge of such errors isa valuable guide to operational physicists.