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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 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.
G. J. Safford, W. W. Havens, Jr., B. M. Rustad
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 6 | Number 5 | November 1959 | Pages 433-440
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE59-A25682
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The absolute value of the total neutron cross section of U235 was measured for neutrons in the energy range 0.000818 to 0.0818 ev for two types of samples, metallic foils and D2O solutions of uranium. Balanced solutions of U235O2(NO3)2 and U238O2(NO3)2 were used to determine the difference between the total cross sections of U235 and U238. This value when combined with the relatively small, known value of the total cross section for U238 gives σT(U235) = 695.0 ± 1.8 barns at 0.0253 ev. The measurements on the metallic U235 foils agreed with the measured total cross section determined from the liquid solution data to better than 1%, yielding σT(U235) = 698.7 ± 4.7 barns at 0.0253 ev. The measured value of the U235 total cross section at 0.00291 ev combined with the scattering cross section, a recent precise value of (1 + α) at 0.00291 ev, and the ratio σf (0.0253 ev)/σf (U235) = 590.8 ± 5.4 barns at the standard neutron energy of 0.0253 ev.
