ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
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.
Tatsuhiko Uda, Hisao Otsuka, Yoshihiro Ozawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 75 | Number 2 | November 1986 | Pages 215-221
Technical Paper | Technique | doi.org/10.13182/NT86-A33864
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To develop a convenient and simple low-level alpha contamination monitoring method for large quantities of radioactive wastes, a foil-type electret dosimeter was examined. For the electret material, fluoride polymer was used, and the polymer foils were charged and polarized by applying a high voltage in air while heating at ∼150°C. The surface charge density of the electret foil before and after irradiation was measured by converting to a piezoelectret signal through use of a polyvinylidene fluoride. In the experiments, using a 2.5 kV/mm electric field in electret foils, an electron avalanche effect was produced, and surface charge decay was multiplied. The maximum multiplication factor obtained was ∼200. The detection limit of alpha surface contamination was confirmed as 10−6 μCi/cm2 (3.7 × 102 Bq/m2) for a 5-h irradiation time.