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Reference.org
Relative biological effectiveness
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Radiobiology/384kIr0g">radiobiology</a>, the relative biological effectiveness (often abbreviated as RBE) is the ratio of biological effectiveness of one type of <a href="/facts/Ionizing_radiation/vw0d9GaT">ionizing radiation</a> relative to another, given the same <a href="/facts/Absorbed_dose/jbqUFt9v">amount of absorbed energy</a>. The RBE is an empirical value that varies depending on the type of ionizing radiation, the energies involved, the biological effects being considered such as cell death, and the oxygen tension of the tissues or so-called <a href="/facts/Oxygen_effect/bpz1fTnn">oxygen effect</a>. </p>