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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.
M. Blaauw
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 124 | Number 3 | November 1996 | Pages 431-435
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE96-A17921
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The derivation and proper use of a formula originally published in 1959 for thermal neutron self-shielding computations in scattering bodies are presented. It is shown that the f0 entity in this formula must be computed using the total macroscopic cross section ∑t instead of the macroscopic absorption cross section ∑a, as was stated in previous publications. The validity of the formula is verified by Monte Carlo computations.
