This report is intended to be of assistance to both regulators and users of radiation sources in nuclear medicine applying the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS). Regulators will find it useful for reviewing applications for authorization and for inspection. Users of radiation in nuclear medicine may follow the guidance provided in order to comply with the BSS requirements or the equivalent national requirements.
Does radiation medicine need more regulation or simply better-coordinated regulation? This book addresses this and other questions of critical importance to public health and safety. The issues involved are high on the nation's agenda: the impact of radiation on public safety, the balance between federal and state authority, and the cost-benefit ratio of regulation. Although incidents of misadministration are rare, a case in Pennsylvania resulting in the death of a patient and the inadvertent exposure of others to a high dose of radiation drew attention to issues concerning the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine and the need to examine current regulatory practices. Written at the request from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Radiation in Medicine reviews the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine, focusing on the NRC's Medical Use Program, which governs the use of reactor-generated byproduct materials. The committee recommends immediate action on enforcement and provides longer term proposals for reform of the regulatory system. The volume covers: Sources of radiation and their use in medicine. Levels of risk to patients, workers, and the public. Current roles of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, other federal agencies, and states. Criticisms from the regulated community. The committee explores alternative regulatory structures for radiation medicine and explains the rationale for the option it recommends in this volume. Based on extensive research, input from the regulated community, and the collaborative efforts of experts from a range of disciplines, Radiation in Medicine will be an important resource for federal and state policymakers and regulators, health professionals involved in radiation treatment, developers and producers of radiation equipment, insurance providers, and concerned laypersons.
This publication is the new edition of the International Basic Safety Standards. The edition is co-sponsored by seven other international organizations European Commission (EC/Euratom), FAO, ILO, OECD/NEA, PAHO, UNEP and WHO. It replaces the interim edition that was published in November 2011 and the previous edition of the International Basic Safety Standards which was published in 1996. It has been extensively revised and updated to take account of the latest finding of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and the latest recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The publication details the requirements for the protection of people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. All circumstances of radiation exposure are considered.
The International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS), jointly sponsored, inter alia, by the IAEA, ILO, WHO and PAHO, establish requirements on the legal persons responsible for designing, running and decommissioning practices involving ionizing radiation. These requirements are basic and general in nature. This report is intended to be of assistance to both regulators and users of radiation sources in diagnostic radiology and interventional procedures using X rays in applying the BSS to this practice. Regulators will find it useful for reviewing applications for authorization and for the inspection of the practice. Users of radiation in radiology may follow the guidance provided in order to comply with BSS requirements or equivalent national requirements. Experts recruited on IAEA missions to advise on the implementation of the BSS for the practice of diagnostic radiology and interventional procedures using X rays are expected to use this regulatory guidance report rather than their own national regulations and guidance. --Publisher's description.
This book discusses important fundamentals of radiation safety with specific details on dose units, calculations, measuring, and biological effects of ionizing radiation. The author covers different exposure situations and their requirements, and relevant legislation and regulations governing radiation safety. The book also examines radioactive waste management, the transport of radioactive materials, emergency planning and preparedness and various examples of radiation protection programs for industrial, medical, and academic applications.
Naturally occurring radionuclides are found throughout the earth's crust, and they form part of the natural background of radiation to which all humans are exposed. Many human activities-such as mining and milling of ores, extraction of petroleum products, use of groundwater for domestic purposes, and living in houses-alter the natural background of radiation either by moving naturally occurring radionuclides from inaccessible locations to locations where humans are present or by concentrating the radionuclides in the exposure environment. Such alterations of the natural environment can increase, sometimes substantially, radiation exposures of the public. Exposures of the public to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) that result from human activities that alter the natural environment can be subjected to regulatory control, at least to some degree. The regulation of public exposures to such technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory and advisory organizations is the subject of this study by the National Research Council's Committee on the Evaluation of EPA Guidelines for Exposures to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials.
Passenger screening at commercial airports in the United States has gone through significant changes since the events of September 11, 2001. In response to increased concern over terrorist attacks on aircrafts, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has deployed security systems of advanced imaging technology (AIT) to screen passengers at airports. To date (December 2014), TSA has deployed AITs in U.S. airports of two different technologies that use different types of radiation to detect threats: millimeter wave and X-ray backscatter AIT systems. X-ray backscatter AITs were deployed in U.S. airports in 2008 and subsequently removed from all airports by June 2013 due to privacy concerns. TSA is looking to deploy a second-generation X-ray backscatter AIT equipped with privacy software to eliminate production of an image of the person being screened in order to alleviate these concerns. This report reviews previous studies as well as current processes used by the Department of Homeland Security and equipment manufacturers to estimate radiation exposures resulting from backscatter X-ray advanced imaging technology system use in screening air travelers. Airport Passenger Screening Using Backscatter X-Ray Machines examines whether exposures comply with applicable health and safety standards for public and occupational exposures to ionizing radiation and whether system design, operating procedures, and maintenance procedures are appropriate to prevent over exposures of travelers and operators to ionizing radiation. This study aims to address concerns about exposure to radiation from X-ray backscatter AITs raised by Congress, individuals within the scientific community, and others.
"Radiation Safety Procedures and Training for the Radiation Safety Officer" is designed to provide radiation safety officers and users/operators of devices using radiation with the tools needed to operate a safe program, construct training materials and courses, AND to comply with regulatory requirements. It is centered primarily around radioactive materials license requirements, but much of the material can be applied to non-healing arts x-ray, accelerator, and laser operations and registrations. All of the information consists of either original text created by the author or compilations of regulatory information/requirements and of common knowledge scientific information found in standard tables and references. A minimal amount of radiation principles are offered to provide the reader/user with enough information to proceed through the material and operate a safe radiation program.
This Safety Guide provides recommendations and guidance on fulfilling the requirements of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 3 for ensuring radiation protection and safety of radiation sources in medical uses of ionizing radiation with regard to patients, workers, carers and comforters, volunteers in biomedical research, and the public. It covers radiological procedures in diagnostic radiology (including dentistry), image guided interventional procedures, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy. Recommendations and guidance are provided on applying a systematic approach to ensure that there is a balance between being able to utilize the benefits from medical uses of ionizing radiation and minimizing the risk of radiation effects to people.
