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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.
Toshihiko Ohnuki, Tadao Tanaka, Hiromichi Ogawa, Tadatoshi Yamamoto
Nuclear Technology | Volume 88 | Number 1 | October 1989 | Pages 55-63
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34336
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The relationship of the retardation factor of a radionuclide for undisturbed soil and that for disturbed soil has been investigated. The migration model is based on the assumption that both reactive (dynamic) and nonreactive (stagnant) sites exist in the soil column. The retardation factor for undisturbed soil is represented by the following equation:Rfu = Su/SdRfd ,where Rfu and Rfd are retardation factors for undisturbed and disturbed soil, respectively, and Su and Sd are degrees of water saturation in undisturbed and disturbed soils, respectively. The migration experiments for both the undisturbed and disturbed soil columns were carried out using 85Sr. The average retardation factor for the undisturbed soil is smaller than that for disturbed soil, and the degree of water saturation in the undisturbed soil column is smaller than that in the disturbed soil column. The retardation factor for the undisturbed soil estimated, based on the above equation, is approximately the same as the measured retardation factor for the undisturbed soil.
