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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.
Carl A. Detrick, James L. Kelly
Nuclear Technology | Volume 7 | Number 5 | November 1969 | Pages 472-477
Radiation | doi.org/10.13182/NT69-A28450
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The quantitative effects of certain factors on the radiation-induced graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and paper (cellulose) were determined. All irradiations were performed in a medium-intensity gamma radiation field created by neutron activation of 55Mn. Resultant radiation dose rates varied between 1.4 and 3.2 × 105 rads/h, initially, and diminished with a 2.58-h half-life. Sample preparation was an important variable in that paper samples immersed in MMA and irradiated immediately thereafter exhibited no grafting, whereas samples soaked 4 and 24 h prior to irradiation yielded increasing amounts of grafting for the same radiation dose. Hydroquinone, which serves as an ideal inhibitor for bulk MMA, yielded no induction period at all for the MMA-cellulose system. The effects of oxygen on the graft polymerization of MMA were similar to its effects on the homopolymerization of MMA. The use of acetone as a solvent for MMA enhanced the amount of graft polymerization. Even higher yields per absorbed dose were obtained using a water-acetone-MMA solution. Furthermore, no pre-irradiation “soak” was necessary to achieve grafting at relatively low absorbed doses in the MMA-solvent systems.