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September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
Ernest D. Klema, Gerald W. Iseler
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 1 | September 1996 | Pages 114-115
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reaction in Solid | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A30768
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Three sets of experiments were conducted to investigate the radiation produced by spark discharge on (a) oxidized palladium samples, (b) oxidized palladium samples loaded with hydrogen, and (c) oxidized palladium samples loaded with deuterium. In the first set, no radiation was measured above background; in the second set, 24-keV X rays were observed, and in the third set, 17-keV X rays were produced. The intensities of the hydrogen X rays were measured over a period of 12 days. During this time, the daily fluctuations overshadowed any long-term variation that might be present. The deuterium X rays were followed over a period of 26 weeks. Again, the intensities fluctuated with time, obscuring the long-term trend; in one case, there was a 40% change from one day to the next.
