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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 Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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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.
C. R. Easton, R. W. Langley, G. H. Anno
Nuclear Technology | Volume 5 | Number 2 | August 1968 | Pages 74-78
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT68-A27954
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A satellite carrying radioactive material in a near-Earth orbit has a finite probability of reentering before the radioactivity has decayed to a harmless level. If the reentry is unplanned, it is normally impossible to predict the impact point to a useful degree of accuracy. This paper deals with such cases. The probability distribution function for latitude of impact is derived for a general case. This function is then combined with an injury probability model and a population distribution model to compute probabilities of injury. The results are correlated as the dependence of probability of injury on latitude and orbital inclination angle. It is shown that probability of injury peaks for an orbital inclination of 30 to 60°.
