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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
J. N. Anno
Nuclear Technology | Volume 2 | Number 5 | October 1966 | Pages 371-378
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT66-A27613
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experiments performed at the Battelle Research Reactor indicate that the output of electrical components is influenced by a radiation environment in several ways. Gamma radiation produces electron emission from metals, varying from 0.38 × 10−16 A/cm2per R/h for aluminum to 6.1 × 10−16 A/cm2 per R/h for uranium. The gammas also ionize residual gas in the experiment test section and produce heating in the components. Thermal neutrons affect electrical components principally through reactions leading to the emission of beta particles. Fast neutrons and electrons (from various sources) sputter atoms from the surface of materials. The resistance of insulators may be drastically altered in a radiation field, principally by photoconduction. The magnitude of several of these effects of radiation is illustrated by a simple inpile experiment.