Chapter 481. Virginia Radiation Protection Regulations

Article 4 Technical Requirements for Land Disposal Facilities Disposal site suitability for near-surface disposal. The primary emphasis in disposal site suitability is given to isolation of wastes and to disposal site features that ensure that the long-term performance objectives…

Disposal site design for near-surface disposal. 1. Site design features shall be directed toward long-term isolation and avoidance of the need for continuing active maintenance after site closure. 2. The disposal site design and operation shall be compatible with the disposal sit…

Near-surface disposal facility operation and disposal site closure. 1. Wastes designated as Class A pursuant to these regulations shall be segregated from other wastes by placing in disposal units which are sufficiently separated from disposal units for the other waste classes so…

A. At the time a license application is submitted, the applicant shall have conducted a preoperational monitoring program to provide basic environmental data on the disposal site characteristics. The applicant shall obtain information about the ecology, meteorology, climate, hydr…

The agency may, upon request or on its own initiative, authorize provisions other than those set forth in 12VAC5-481-2540 through 12VAC5-481-2560 for the segregation and disposal of waste and for the design and operation of a land disposal facility on a specific basis, if it find…

A. Considerations. Determination of the classification of radioactive waste involves two considerations. First, consideration must be given to the concentration of long-lived radionuclides (and their shorter-lived precursors) whose potential hazard will persist long after such pr…

A. The following requirements are minimum requirements for all classes of waste and are intended to facilitate handling at the disposal site and provide protection of health and safety of personnel at the disposal site. 1. Waste must not be packaged for disposal in cardboard or f…

Each package of waste must be clearly labeled to identify whether it is Class A waste, Class B waste, or Class C waste, in accordance with 12VAC5-481-2571.Statutory Authority§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.

A. Land ownership. Disposal of waste received from other persons may be permitted only on land owned in fee by the federal or a state government. B. Institutional control. The land owner or custodial agency shall conduct an institutional control program to physically control acce…

The agency licensing a low-level disposal facility may, upon request or on its own initiative, authorize other provisions for the classification and characteristics of waste on a specific basis, if, after evaluation of the specific characteristics of the waste, disposal site, met…

A. This part provides for the registration of ionizing radiation machine facilities. B. In addition to the requirements of this part, all registrants are subject to the applicable provisions of Part 1 (12VAC5-481-10 et seq.), Part IV (12VAC5-481-600 et seq.) and Part X (12VAC5-48…

Article 5 Financial Assurances Each applicant shall show that it either possesses the necessary funds or has reasonable assurance of obtaining the necessary funds, or by a combination of the two, to cover the estimated costs of conducting all licensed activities over the planned …

A. The applicant shall provide assurances prior to the commencement of operations that sufficient funds will be available to carry out disposal site closure and stabilization, including: (i) decontamination or dismantlement of land disposal facility structures; and (ii) closure a…

A. Prior to the issuance of the license, the applicant shall provide for agency approval, a binding arrangement, between the applicant and the disposal site owner that ensures that sufficient funds will be available to cover the costs of monitoring and any required maintenance du…

Article 6 Records, Reports, Tests, and Inspections A. Each licensee shall maintain any records and make any reports in connection with the licensed activities as may be required by the conditions of the license or by the rules, regulations, and orders of the agency. B. Records th…

Each licensee shall perform, or permit the agency to perform, any tests the agency deems appropriate or necessary for the administration of the regulations in this part, including, but not limited to, tests of: 1. Wastes; 2. Facilities used for the receipt, storage, treatment, ha…

A. Each licensee shall afford to the agency at all reasonable times opportunity to inspect waste not yet disposed of, and the premises, equipment, operations, and facilities in which wastes are received, possessed, handled, treated, stored, or disposed of. B. Each licensee shall …

Article 1 Purpose and Scope A. This part contains requirements for the issuance of a license authorizing the use of sealed sources containing radioactive materials in irradiators used to irradiate objects or materials using gamma radiation. This part also contains radiation safet…

Article 2 Specific Licensing Requirements A person, as defined in 12VAC5-481-10, may file an application for a specific license authorizing the use of sealed sources in an irradiator. Each application shall be sent to the agency along with the appropriate fee prescribed in 12VAC5…

A. The agency will approve an application for a specific license for the use of licensed material in an irradiator if the applicant meets the requirements contained in subsection B of this section and includes the information, as appropriate, from subsections C through I of this …

Commencement of construction of a new irradiator may occur prior to the submission to the agency of both an application for a license for the irradiator and the fee required by 12VAC5-490. Any activities undertaken prior to the issuance of a license are entirely at the risk of th…

A. Electronic equipment that produces radiation incidental to its operation is exempt from the registration and notification requirements of this part, provided that the dose equivalent rate averaged over an area of 10 square centimeters does not exceed 5 μSv (0.5 mrem) per hour …

A. The agency may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant any exemptions from the requirements in this part that it determines are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security and are otherwise in…

A. After the filing of an application, the agency may request further information necessary to enable the agency to determine whether the application shall be granted or denied. B. Each license is issued with the condition that the licensee will, at any time before expiration of …

Article 3 Design and Performance Requirements for Irradiators A. Sealed sources installed after July 1, 1993, shall: 1. Have a certificate of registration issued by the NRC or another agreement state; 2. Be doubly encapsulated; 3. Use radioactive material that is as nondispersibl…

A. Each entrance to a radiation room at a panoramic irradiator shall have a door or other physical barrier to prevent inadvertent entry of personnel if the sources are not in the shielded position. Product conveyor systems may serve as barriers as long as they reliably and consis…

A. The radiation dose rate in areas that are normally occupied during operation of a panoramic irradiator may not exceed 2 mrem (0.02 mSv) per hour at any location 30 centimeters or more from the wall of the room when the sources are exposed. The dose rate shall be averaged over …

A. The radiation room at panoramic irradiator shall have heat and smoke detectors. The detectors shall activate an audible alarm. The alarm shall be capable of alerting a person who is prepared to summon assistance promptly. The sources shall automatically become fully shielded i…

A. Irradiators with automatic product conveyor systems shall have a radiation monitor with an audible alarm located to detect loose radioactive sources that are carried toward the product exit. If the monitor detects a source, an alarm shall sound and product conveyors shall stop…

A. The mechanism that moves the sources of a panoramic irradiator shall require a key to actuate. Actuation of the mechanism shall cause an audible signal to indicate that the sources are leaving the shielded position. Only one key may be in use at any time, and only operators or…

A. For licenses initially issued after July 1, 1993, irradiator pools shall have a method to safely store the sources during repairs of the pool and either: 1. Have a watertight stainless steel liner or a liner metallurgically compatible with other components in the pools; or 2. …

If the product to be irradiated moves on a product conveyor system, the source rack and the mechanism that moves the rack shall be protected by a barrier or guides to prevent products and product carriers from hitting or touching the rack or mechanism.Statutory Authority§ 32.1-22…

A. Prior to construction, the floor plans, shielding specifications and equipment arrangement of all new installations, or modifications of existing installations, utilizing ionizing radiation machines shall be available to the agency for review. The required information is found…

A. If electrical power at a panoramic irradiator is lost for longer than 10 seconds, the sources shall automatically return to the shielded position. B. The lock on the door of the radiation room of a panoramic irradiator may not be deactivated by a power failure. C. During a pow…

A. For all irradiators, licensees shall evaluate the location and sensitivity of the monitor to detect sources carried by the product conveyor system as required by 12VAC5-481-2760 A. Licensees shall verify that the product conveyor is designed to stop before a source on the prod…

A. For all irradiators, licensees shall verify the proper operation of the monitor to detect sources carried on the product conveyor system and the related alarms and interlocks required by 12VAC5-481-2760 A. B. For all irradiators with product conveyor systems, the licensee shal…

Article 4 Operation of Irradiators A. Before an individual is permitted to operate an irradiator without a supervisor present, the individual shall be instructed in: 1. The fundamentals of radiation protection applied to irradiators, including the differences between external rad…

A. Licensees shall have and follow written operating procedures for: 1. Operation of the irradiator, including entering and leaving the radiation room; 2. Use of personnel dosimeters; 3. Surveying the shielding of panoramic irradiators; 4. Monitoring pool water for contamination …

A. Irradiator operators shall wear a personnel dosimeter while operating a panoramic irradiator or while in the area around the pool of an underwater irradiator. The personnel dosimeter must be capable of detecting high energy photons in the normal and accident dose ranges (see 1…

A. A radiation survey of the area outside the shielding of the radiation room of a panoramic irradiator shall be conducted with the sources in the exposed position before the facility starts to operate. A radiation survey of the area above the pool of pool irradiators shall be co…

A. Each dry-source-storage sealed source shall be tested for leakage at intervals not to exceed six months using a leak test kit or method approved by the agency, NRC, or another agreement state. In the absence of a certificate from a transferor that a test has been made within t…

A. Licensees shall perform inspection and maintenance checks that include, as a minimum, each of the following at the frequency specified in the license or license application: 1. Operability of each aspect of the access control system required by 12VAC5-481-2730; 2. Functioning …

A. Pool water purification system shall be run sufficiently to maintain the conductivity of the pool water below 20 microsiemens per centimeter under normal circumstances. If pool water conductivity rises above 20 microsiemens per centimeter, licensees shall take prompt actions t…

Each person having a radiation machine facility shall: 1. Apply for registration of such facility with the agency within 30 days following installation of equipment. Application for registration shall be completed on forms furnished by the agency and shall contain all the informa…

A. Both an irradiator operator and at least one other individual who is trained on how to respond and prepared to promptly render or summon assistance if the access control alarm sounds shall be present on site: 1. Whenever the irradiator is operated using an automatic product co…

A. Upon first entering the radiation room of a panoramic irradiator after an irradiation, the irradiator operator shall use a survey meter to determine that the source has returned to the fully shielded position. The operator shall check the functioning of the survey meter with a…

A. Irradiation of explosive material is prohibited unless the licensee has received prior written authorization from the agency. Authorization will not be granted unless the licensee can demonstrate that denotation of the explosive would not rupture the sealed sources, injure per…