An increase in total filtration of the x-ray beam will lead to an increase in which property?

When total filtration of the x-ray beam is increased, the half-value layer (HVL) also increases. The HVL is defined as the thickness of material (usually specified in millimeters of aluminum equivalent) required to reduce the intensity of the x-ray beam to half its original value.

Increased filtration effectively removes low-energy photons from the beam, which do not contribute significantly to image formation, while allowing higher-energy photons to pass through. As a result, the average energy of the x-ray beam increases, leading to a greater HVL. This is important in radiation protection because it indicates that the beam is more penetrating, thereby reducing unnecessary patient exposure to lower-energy radiation, which contributes more to dose without improving image quality.

Higher HVL implies that the beam is better at penetrating tissue, which can ultimately reflect how much shielding or barrier is needed to protect against radiation, and reinforces the principle of optimizing radiation use in medical imaging.