ML20043C062
| ML20043C062 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/01/1989 |
| From: | Gagner S NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA) |
| To: | Lahs B NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH (RES) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20042C963 | List:
|
| References | |
| FRN-53FR49886, RULE-PR-CHP1 NUDOCS 9006010262 | |
| Download: ML20043C062 (6) | |
Text
/M, '
j
- ' t-i 1
p
\\
.y i
j i.,,3, r
.J l *fI -
Abunna no vamsuna sur
/ M((ge/
- TO:
me, esos opntel, room anator, lanists
.Dde A
,. A.. e,*oAD,
-A
/
- S.
/
S.
~
4.
E e*n no u6te ens Retum Appewei For cieerence VPer conversation As Requested For Correction Propero Reply
~
Circulete For Your inforrMtion See Me Comment investigste signeture Winet6cn Justify REMARKS
[ m h 8 1 4-M[NW jd Awa e.e l
g/2C, 1
-.;,gr
.7, kl o
_g e g e (
occ4
- " ' "" ** "" lifefe,"c'J ".12"o"e'h.****""'"*" **'*"'*-
.e
- 3.,.
FROM: (Nemo, org. eymbol, Agency / Post)
Room No. -8 ids.
S 44uc n G$}#*"'% v/s 4041-1C2 y
/
IONAL FgM 41 (Rev. 7-76)
WR (41 CNt) 101-11.206 e cc: i. *,. 2 n. u. 04u k
ph262 891130 F
CHP1 33pR49886 PDC
g; l
l. ?,
DRAFTL
.O
-NRC ISSUES POLICY STATEMENT ON RADIATION LEVELS BELOW REGULATORY CONCERN 1-J 4
l The Nuclear. Regulatory Commission has adopted a policy that sets forth a l
Very low level of risk from NRC-licensed activities where further efforts to reduce radiation exposures are not warranted. The policy will be used for L
_ future agency licensing decisions and regulations involving requests to exempt activities or products from regulatory control.
l
?
l In the past, the Commission has exempted the use or release of small amounts of radioactive material from regulatory control on a case-by-case basis.
Now the Commission has decided to issue a broad policy statement that provides a framework for considering these matters.
i l
The Comission-has always recognized that the use of radiation or radioactive materials, like many of-the activities society engages in, involves some small risk.
Thus, the Commission has' traditionally strived to i
' ensure th61 eny radiation dose received by workers or members of the public is l
reduced to levels that are as low as reasonably achievable. As the level of i
i this risk becomes very small, the expenditure of resources needed to reduce l
the risks reaches a point where the costs-of such efforts far outweigh the a
small benefits that may result. The Commission believes that its efforts should be directed toward more important health and safety issues.
In its policy statement the Comission said that reduction of the risks from a given licensed activity is unwarranted if the annual risk from the activity or product is small both in an absolute sense and in comparison with other risks that people encounter in their everyday lives.
o -
l' DRAFT 2
l V
,3 For individuals, the Commission has decided that the radiation exposure
.from an activity or product is below regulatory concern if it results in an annual risk of cancer fatality of no more than 1 chance in 200 thousand.
(The risk of dying from all other causes of canc.er'is 2 chances in 1000.) This level corresponds to a radiation dose of approximately one-tenth of the 100 millirem dose-received annually from naturally occurring sources such as cosmicradiationandradioactivematerialintheearth(excludingradon).
Individuals are exposed to radiation doses of similar magnitude when taking a single round trip cross-country airplane flight (about 5 millirems per flight) l or when they choose to live in brick rather than frame houses (a difference that can exceed 10 millirems per year).
Taking into account these risk perspectives, the Commission has l
determined that an individual dose measure of less than 10 millirems per year is appropriate for use in exemption decisions.
However, the Commission recognizes that some situations could develop
(
where an individual could receive a radiation dose from several different exempted activities. As an added conservative measure, for radioactive materials or products that are used by the general public, and hence likely to expose large numbers of people, the Commission has decided to apply an interim individual dose criterion of 1 millirem per year until the Commission gains more experience with the potential for individual exposures from multiple activities or products.
l In addition to these risk criteria that apply to the individual, the l
Commission also has established a risk criterion that will apply to the collective dose (the sua of all of the individual doses) associated with an
c-DRAFT 3
e activity or product proposed for exemption. The Commission believes that if the collective dose resulting from an exempted practice is less than 1000 person-rems per year (equivalent to 100,000 individuals receiving 10 milltrems per year or 1,000,000 individuals receiving 1 millirem per year), the resources of the Commission and its licensees would be better expended to address more significant health and safety issues.
Generally, the collective dose is calculated by multiplying the number of I
people' expected to be exposed to certain doses times their exposure level.
However, the Commission has determined that individual doses of less than 0.1 millirem per year need not be considered in calculating the collective dose.
For example, if a radioactive product is to be' transported, the radiation dose to persons along the highway would likely be far below 0.1 millirem, so it would not be necessary to include their dose in calculating the collective dose.
But the dose to truck drivers, warehouse personnel and users might be expected to be.above 0.1 millirem, so their dose would be included in the calculation.
Thus, if radiation exposure from a product or activity will result in both (1) a dose to individuals of less than 10 millirems per year or 1 millirem or less per year for naterials used by the general public and (2) a collective dose of 1000 person-rems or less per year, the Commission may decide to grant an exemption from regulatory control for the product or a ctivity. Other specified conditions also must be met, such as lack of significant risk from accidents or misuse.
L l
l l
l l
i
C.,=
DRAFT.
4 n.
m.
y Y
The Commission emphasized that the policy statement does not constitute a decision to exempt any specific consumer product, waste or other materials from regulatory control.
It is instead a general guideline for such exemptions.
Before any specific exemption from the regulations is granted, an announcement will be published in the Federal Register to clearly explain the details-and particular circumstances associated with the proposed exemption.
The.public will have an opportunity to comment on these proposed exemptions, and the comments will be considered before the Connission.makes its final-decision.
L Examples of exemptions that have already been granted by the Commission l
l over a number of years on a case-by-case basis include consumer products such as smoke detectors, as well as very low level radioactive discharges from hospitals, research institutions and nuclear power plants.
1 E
Based on information currently available, exemption proposals within the next few years are most likely to involve disposal of very low level l
radioactive waste from medical and research institutions and nuclear power
]
l plants and the termination of licenses and release for unrestricted public use i
of decommissioned and decontaminated facilities.
?
y
(
i 4
PROPOSED EXEMPTION POLICY i
FOR A JUSTIFIED PRACTICE 1
=
s y 3 y yy:
y y y gy i
s y y y y yy
=
Not Exemptable t
- 100 s- - - - - - -
-Public Dose Limit-
s j
E E
E u
8
~
l E
+ wetoiNo RODS 10 e- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - m i
e o
so O
o
' 113 l4 C
SCINT. FLUIDS ANIMAL CARC,
~
Poss.bly Exemptable g1 l
i l
e
_E n
3
=
n E
~
C l
i t
c Exemptable
+ GAS MANTLES l
3 0.1 g-
+H TIMEPIECES 147 4
PM TIMEPIECES +
- 2 l
a SMOKE DETECTORS 1985 EFFLUENTS (ALL REACTORS)+
g ;
I
> >>.. f A..EL$CTRON TUBES 4i
... I
......I i
i 1
10 100 1,
10,000 100,000 l
Collective Dose (Person-rem) 07/09/89
.1 BRC VG. BACKUP
_