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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.
P. C. Fung, G. W. Bird, N. S. Mcintyre, G. G. Sanipelli, V. J. Lopata
Nuclear Technology | Volume 51 | Number 2 | December 1980 | Pages 188-196
Technical Paper | Argonne National Laboratory Specialists’ Workshop on Basic Research Needs for Nuclear Waste Management / Radioactive Waste | doi.org/10.13182/NT80-A32600
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The rate of sodium and potassium released from an alkali feldspar reacting with an aqueous solution varied with time. After an initial rapid exchange of alkalis for H+, dissolution rate decreased gradually, following in sequence, exponential, parabolic, and linear kinetics. Silicon was not released in the earlier stages but subsequently behaved very similarly to the alkalis. Aluminum behaved very similarly to the alkalis at the early stages but quickly reached saturation. Under an inert atmosphere, the pH of the solution was buffered at 8 to 10 after the initial sharp rise during the ion exchange stage. Dissolution occurred preferentially along crystal imperfections such as fractures, fluid inclusions, and grain boundaries rather than uniformly throughout the entire surface. The surface of a feldspar dissolved incongruently for the first few days of reaction but dissolved congruently thereafter. Clusters of precipitates occurred as discrete growths covering only small parts of the surface and were unlikely to retard dissolution.