REGULATION IN RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

REGULATION IN RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000), employers have a general responsibility to make arrangements for the planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of control measures in handling radioactive substances.

Under IRR99, radiation employers must carry out a prior risk assessment before dealing with radioactive substances

Any radioactive materials must be registered with EA/SEPA/EHS for the keeping and disposal of radioactive waste.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) is in charged in recording the malfunction causes of radioactive source and reported incidents involving in misuse of radioactive substances.

The licensing and regulation of radioactive isotopes in the United States are shared by
the:

· NRC

· U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

· State governments

· FDA

NRC

The NRC is the Federal agency given the task of protecting public health and safety and the environment with regard to the safe use of nuclear materials.

NRC regulates medical, academic, and industrial uses of nuclear materials generated by or from a nuclear reactor. Through a comprehensive inspection and enforcement program, the NRC ensures that these facilities operate in compliance with strict safety standards.

The NRC has relinquished its authority to regulate certain radioactive materials, including some radioisotopes, to most of the States. These States, which have entered into an agreement assuming this regulatory authority from the NRC, are called Agreement States, and are shown on the map below. Agreement States, like the NRC, regulate reactor-produced radioisotopes within their borders and must provide at least as much health and safety protection as the NRC. The NRC maintains approximately 6,000 licenses for the use of radioactive materials, and the Agreement States maintain approximately 16,000 materials licenses. Every license specifies the type, quantity, and location of radioactive material that may be possessed and used. When radioactive material is transported, special packaging and labeling are required. Also specified in each license are the training and qualification of workers using the materials, specific procedures for using the materials, and any special safety precautions required. Every licensee is inspected periodically either by the NRC or the Agreement State to ensure that radioactive materials are being used and transported safely. Violators of regulatory requirements are subject to fines and other enforcement actions, including loss of license.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA is also responsible for, among other things, setting air emission and drinking water standards for radionuclides.

STATE GOVERNMENTS

The States regulate radioactive substances that occur naturally or are produced by machines, such as linear accelerators or cyclotrons.

FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the manufacture and use of linear accelerators; the States regulate their operation.