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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.
Joonhong Ahn
Nuclear Technology | Volume 126 | Number 3 | June 1999 | Pages 303-318
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A2976
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An assessment for the criticality safety of a conceptual repository for vitrified high-level radioactive waste from reprocessed fuel of commercial light water reactors in a water-saturated granitic rock has been performed by quantitatively estimating the mass of fissile 235U existing in the entire far field as the performance measure. The uncertainties associated with the performance measure have been obtained by a statistical analysis with the Latin hypercube sampling method.With the assumed probability distribution functions for the model parameters, the mass of 235U released from the repository and existing in the far field at 100 million years is estimated to be <40 kg with a 90% confidence level. This implies that all 235U existing in the entire far field at that time must accumulate in a single location for an overmoderated criticality event to occur in granitic rock.