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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 Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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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.
Robert M. Brugger, Jing-Luen A. Shih, Hungyuan B. Liu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 98 | Number 3 | June 1992 | Pages 322-332
Technical Paper | Radiation Biology and Medicine | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34662
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A facility designed to produce a beam of epithermal neutrons for neutron capture therapy is discussed whereby a moderator of Al2O3 plus aluminum is placed near the core of the 10-MW Missouri University Research Reactor. This moderator shifts the fast neutrons into the epithermal energy range before they exit toward the patient position. This beam replaces the thermal column of the reactor and has a large source area. With the reactor operating at 10 MW, a very intense, yet predominantly epithermal beam of neutrons is produced by this beam, and these neutrons could be very effective for neutron capture therapy.