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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.
T. Mankamo, I. S. Kim, P. K. Samanta
Nuclear Technology | Volume 112 | Number 2 | November 1995 | Pages 250-265
Technical Paper | Reactor Operation | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35178
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
When the systems needed to shut down a nuclear power plant are inoperable or degraded, the risk of shutting down the plant may be comparable to, or even higher than, that of continuing power operation with the equipment inoperable but giving priority to repairs. This concern arises because the plant may have insufficient capability for removing decay heat during the shutdown. However, in many cases, plant technical specifications require immediate shutdown of the plant. Risk-based analyses for various alternatives of operational policy available in such situations are examined. These analyses can be used to define the risk-effective requirements for those standby safety systems.