UNITS AND EFFECTS

There are several different units employed to define overall radiation exposure. The unit of radiation in the International System of units is the becquerel (Bq), representing one nuclear transition per second (1 s^-1). Exposure to radiation is measured according to the amount necessary to produce a coulomb of electric charge, in the form of ions, in a kilogram of pure dry air. The SI unit for this quantity is the coulomb per kilogram (C/kg). An older unit, known as the roentgen (R), is equivalent to 2.58 × 10^-4 C/kg.
When matter such as human tissue is exposed to radiation, the standard unit of dose equivalent is the sievert (Sv), equivalent to 1 joule per kilogram (1 J/kg). Sometimes you’ll hear about the rem (an acronym for roentgen equivalent man); 1 rem = 0.01 Sv. All these units make it confusing to talk about radiation quantity. To make things worse, some of the older, technically obsolete units such as the roentgen and rem have stuck around, especially in laypeople’s conversations about radiation, whereas the standard units have been slow to gain acceptance.
Have you read that “more than 100 roentgens of exposure to ionizing​ radiation within a few hours will make a person sick” or that “people are typically exposed to a few rems during a lifetime”? Statements like these were common in civil-defense documents in the 1960s after the Cuban missile crisis, when fears of worldwide nuclear war led to the installation of air-raid sirens and fallout shelters all over the United States.
When people are exposed to excessive amounts of radiation in a short time, physical symptoms such as nausea, skin burns, fatigue, and dehydration commonly occur. In extreme cases, internal ulceration and bleeding lead to death. When people get too much radiation gradually over a period of years, cancer rates increase, and genetic mutations also occur, giving rise to increased incidence of birth defects.