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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
D. Galeriu, R. Heling, A. Melintescu
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 779-782
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Biology, Health, and Radiation | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A1036
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritiated water spills by nuclear installations result in uptake in aquatic organisms. The radionuclide uptake model BURN (developed by NRG, modified), considers not only tritium as tritiated water (HTO) but also the conversion into organically bound tritium (OBT). Comparison with the original BURN mode showed that the modified model gave more realistic results in terms of concentration levels, and consequently for dose assessment as result of ingestion of fishery products. For more accurate modelling, seasonal effects and half-life estimates asa function of body weight and water temperature must be taken into account. A first attempt is given, although limited empirical data gives reason to further investigation of this significant effect.