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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.
D. V. Gopinath, K. Santhanam
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 43 | Number 2 | February 1971 | Pages 197-211
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE71-A21267
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Here we present the results of extensive calculations on the gamma-ray transport in finite heterogeneous systems using the technique developed in Part I of this paper. Systems studied are water, concrete, aluminum, iron, and lead, and the data presented are: evolution of spectra with collisions, reflected and transmitted spectra, spectra at different depths, and buildup factors for different source energies and different thicknesses of each medium. Similar data are also presented for two-region systems of water-iron, iron-lead, and water-lead. Several interesting results have been observed, among which are: (a) a step structure and a second peak in the low energy part of the back-scattered spectra from light media, (b) progressive buildup of a peak in the low energy region of transmitted flux, and (c) significant dip in the build-up factors near the outer boundary of the systems. The results are discussed on the basis of the physical processes involved. A comparison of the present results with those published in literature is made.