ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
The NCSCC (formerly known as N16) is responsible for the preparation and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards as well as standards-related guidance documents, guidance standards, and technical reports supporting the determination of the potential for nuclear criticality of fissile material outside reactors, for the prevention of accidental criticality, for mitigating consequences of accidents should they occur, and for the prevention of nuclear chain reactions in activities associated with handling, storing, transporting, processing, and treating fissionable nuclides. The ANS Standards Committee Procedures Manual for Consensus Committees shall be used to guide the activities of this consensus committee.
The NCSCC oversees one subcommittee. This committee is Fissionable Material Outside Reactors (ANS-8). Taken from their scope, this committee aims "to establish standards providing guidance in the prevention of nuclear chain reactions in all procedures for handling, storing, transporting, processing, and treating fissionable nuclides."
The NCSCC oversees the following subcommittee:
Last modified June 25, 2025, 8:09am CDT
