Chapter DHS 157

DHS 157.03(269)(a) (a) For gamma stereotactic radiosurgery, the total dose as documented in the written directive.

DHS 157.03(269)(b) (b) For teletherapy, the total dose and dose per fraction as documented in the written directive.

DHS 157.03(269)(c) (c) For brachytherapy, either the total source strength and exposure time or the total dose, as documented in the written directive.

DHS 157.03(269)(d) (d) For remote afterloaders, the total dose and dose per fraction as documented in the written directive.

DHS 157.03(270) (270) “Pressure demand respirator” means a positive pressure atmosphere-supplying respirator that admits breathing air to the facepiece when the positive pressure is reduced inside the facepiece by inhalation.

DHS 157.03(271) (271) “Primary dose monitoring system” means a system which will monitor the useful beam during irradiation and which will terminate irradiation when a pre-selected number of dose monitor units have been delivered.

DHS 157.03(272) (272) “Primary protective barrier” means the material, excluding filters, placed in the useful beam.

DHS 157.03(273) (273) “Principal activities” means activities authorized by the license that are essential to achieving the purpose for which the license was issued or amended. “Principal activities” do not include storage during which no licensed material is accessed for use or disposal and activities incidental to decontamination or decommissioning.

DHS 157.03(274) (274) “Product conveyor system” means a system for moving the product to be irradiated to, from and within the area where irradiation takes place.

DHS 157.03(275) (275) “Protective apron” means an apron made of radiation absorbing materials used to reduce radiation exposure to the wearer.

DHS 157.03(276) (276) “Protective barrier” means a primary or secondary protective barrier of radiation absorbing material or materials used to reduce radiation exposure.

DHS 157.03(277) (277) “Protective glove” means a glove made of radiation absorbing materials used to reduce radiation exposure and that surrounds the hand and fingers.

DHS 157.03(278) (278) “Public dose” means the dose received by a member of the public from exposure to sources of radiation released by a licensee or registrant or to any other source of radiation under the control of a licensee or registrant. It does not include occupational dose, dose received from background radiation, from any medical administration the individual has received, from exposure to individuals administered radioactive material and released under s. DHS 157.62 (8) or from voluntary participation in medical research programs.

DHS 157.03(279) (279) “Pulsed dose-rate remote afterloader” or “PDR” means a device that uses a single source capable of delivering dose rates in the high dose-rate range, but has both of the following characteristics:

DHS 157.03(279)(a) (a) Is approximately one-tenth of the activity of typical high dose-rate remote afterloader sources.

DHS 157.03(279)(b) (b) Is used to simulate the radiobiology of a low dose rate treatment by inserting the source for a given fraction of each hour.

DHS 157.03(279m) (279m) “Pulsed mode” means operation of the x-ray system such that the x-ray tube current is pulsed by the x-ray control to produce one or more exposure intervals of duration less than one-half second.

DHS 157.03(280) (280) “Pyrophoric liquid” means any liquid that ignites spontaneously in dry or moist air at or below 54.4° C (130° F). This includes spontaneously combustible and water-reactive materials.

DHS 157.03(281) (281) “Pyrophoric solid” means any solid material, other than an explosive material, which under normal conditions is liable to cause fires through friction, retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or which may be ignited readily and, when ignited, burns so vigorously and persistently as to create a serious transportation, handling or disposal hazard.

DHS 157.03(282) (282) “Qualitative fit test” or “QLFT” means a pass or fail fit test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit that relies on the individual’s response to the test agent.

DHS 157.03(283) (283) “Quality control” means an ongoing program to ensure continued reliable performance of the equipment designed to detect changes which may result in a clinically significant degradation in image quality or a significant increase in radiation exposure.

DHS 157.03(284) (284) “Quality factor” or “Q” means the modifying factor listed in tables 157.06A and 157.06B of s. DHS 157.06 (4) that is used to derive dose equivalent from absorbed dose.

DHS 157.03(285) (285) “Quantitative fit test” or “QNFT” means an assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the respirator.

DHS 157.03(286) (286) “Rad” means the special unit of absorbed dose. One rad is equal to an absorbed dose of 100 erg per gram or 0.01 joule per kilogram (0.01 gray).

DHS 157.03(287) (287) “Radiation” means alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons and other particles capable of producing ions. “Radiation” does not include non-ionizing radiation, such as radiowaves or microwaves, visible, infrared or ultraviolet light.

DHS 157.03(288) (288) “Radiation area” means any area, accessible to individuals, in which radiation levels could result in an individual receiving a dose equivalent in excess of 0.05 mSv (0.005 rem) in one hour at 30 centimeters from the source of radiation or from any surface that the radiation penetrates.

DHS 157.03(288m) (288m) “Radiation generating device” or “RGD” means any system, device, subsystem, or component thereof, which may generate x-rays or particle radiation between 5 keV and 1 MeV, and not intended for healing arts use for humans or animals. RGD may be fixed or portable with any of the following characteristics:

DHS 157.03(288m)(a) (a) Mobile-means RGD equipment mounted on a permanent base with wheels and/or casters for moving while completely assembled.

DHS 157.03(288m)(b) (b) Portable-means RGD equipment designed to be hand-carried.

DHS 157.03(288m)(c) (c) Stationary-means RGD equipment that is installed or placed in a fixed location.

DHS 157.03(288m)(d) (d) Transportable-means RGD equipment to be installed in a vehicle or that may be readily disassembled for transport or use in a vehicle.

DHS 157.03(289) (289) “Radiation head” means the structure from which the useful beam emerges.

DHS 157.03(290) (290) “Radiation incident” means the loss of control of a radioactive source or materials or the unintended exposure of an individual to radiation that exceeds the limits in this chapter.

DHS 157.03(291) (291) “Radiation installation” means any location or facility where radiation machines are used or where radioactive material is produced, transported, stored, disposed of or used for any purpose.

DHS 157.03(292) (292) “Radiation machine” means any device capable of producing radiation, except those devices with radioactive material as the only source of radiation.

DHS 157.03(293) (293) “Radiation room” means a shielded room in which irradiations take place. Underwater irradiators do not have radiation rooms.

DHS 157.03(294) (294) “Radiation safety officer” or “RSO” means an individual who has the knowledge and training to apply appropriate radiation regulations and has been assigned the responsibility for the overall radiation safety program by the registrant or licensee and is identified on a registration or a specific license.

DHS 157.03(295) (295) “Radiation safety officer for industrial radiography” means an individual with the responsibility for the overall radiation safety program for a licensee or registrant and who meets the requirements of s. DHS 157.44 (2).

DHS 157.03(295m) (295m) “Radiation safety officer for medical use” means an individual that meets the requirements of s. DHS 157.61 (7) (a) or who is identified as a radiation safety officer on a department, NRC or another agreement state medical use license or other equivalent license or permit recognized by the department for similar types and uses of radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(296) (296) “Radiation therapy simulation system” means a radiographic, CT or fluoroscopic x-ray system intended for localizing the volume to be exposed during radiation therapy and confirming the position and size of the therapeutic irradiation field.

DHS 157.03(297) (297) “Radioactive drug” means any chemical compound containing radioactive material that may be used on or administered to patients or human research subjects as an aid in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease or other abnormal condition.

DHS 157.03(298) (298) “Radioactive marker” means radioactive material placed in the well-bore or on a structure intended for subsurface use for the purpose of depth determination or direction orientation.

DHS 157.03(299) (299) “Radioactive material” means any solid, liquid or gas that emits radiation spontaneously.

DHS 157.03(300) (300) “Radioactivity” means the transformation of unstable atomic nuclei by the emission of radiation.

DHS 157.03(301) (301) “Radiograph” means an image which is created directly or indirectly by radiation and results in a permanent record, either film or electronically stored image.

DHS 157.03(302) (302) “Radiographer” means any individual who performs or who, in attendance at the site where the sources of radiation are being used, personally supervises industrial radiographic operations and who is responsible to the licensee or registrant for assuring compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the conditions of the license or registration.

DHS 157.03(303) (303) “Radiographer certification” means written approval received from a certifying entity stating that an individual has satisfactorily met the equivalent radiation safety, testing and experience criteria in s. DHS 157.44 (3) (a).

DHS 157.03(304) (304) “Radiographer’s assistant” means any individual who under the direct supervision of a radiographer, uses radiographic exposure devices, sources of radiation, related handling tools or radiation survey instruments in industrial radiography.

DHS 157.03(305) (305) “Radiographic exposure device” means any instrument containing a sealed source fastened or contained within the instrument, in which the sealed source or shielding thereof may be moved or otherwise changed, from a shielded to unshielded position for purposes of making a radiographic exposure.

DHS 157.03(306) (306) “Radiographic imaging system” means any system whereby a permanent or semi-permanent image is recorded on an image receptor by the action of ionizing radiation.

DHS 157.03(307) (307) “Radiographic operations” means all activities performed with a radiographic exposure device or with a radiation machine. Activities include using, transporting, except by common or contract carriers or storing at a temporary job site, performing surveys to confirm the adequacy of boundaries, setting up equipment and any activity inside restricted area boundaries. Transporting a radiation machine is not considered a radiographic operation.

DHS 157.03(308) (308) “Radionuclide” means a radioactive form of an element.

DHS 157.03(309) (309) “Rating” means the operating limits as specified by the component manufacturer.

DHS 157.03(310) (310) “Redundant beam monitoring system” means a combination of 2 dose monitoring systems in which each system is designed to terminate irradiation under a pre-selected number of dose monitor units.

DHS 157.03(311) (311) “Reference man” means a hypothetical aggregation of human physical and physiological characteristics determined by international consensus. These characteristics may be used by researchers and public health workers to standardize results of experiments and to relate biological insult to a common base.

DHS 157.03(312) (312) “Reference plane” means a plane that is displaced from and parallel to the tomographic plane.

DHS 157.03(313) (313) “Regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation” means the regulations in 49 CFR 100 to 189 and 390 to 397.

DHS 157.03(314) (314) “Rem” means the special unit of any of the quantities expressed as dose equivalent.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: The dose equivalent in rem is equal to the absorbed dose in rad multiplied by the quality factor. One rem equals 0.01 sievert.

DHS 157.03(315) (315) “Research and development” means either of the following:

DHS 157.03(315)(a) (a) Theoretical analysis, exploration or experimentation.

DHS 157.03(315)(b) (b) The practical application of investigative findings and theories of a scientific or technical nature for experimental and demonstration purposes, including the experimental production and testing of models, devices, equipment, materials and processes. Research and development does not include the internal or external administration of radiation or radioactive material to human beings.

DHS 157.03(316) (316) “Residual radioactivity” means radioactivity in structures, materials, soils, groundwater and other media at a site resulting from activities under the licensee’s or registrant’s control. “Residual radioactivity” includes radioactivity from all sources used by the licensee or registrant, but excludes background radiation. “Residual radioactivity” also includes radioactive materials remaining at the site as a result of routine or accidental releases of radioactive material at the site and previous burials at the site, even if those burials were made in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

DHS 157.03(317) (317) “Respiratory protective equipment” means an apparatus, such as a respirator, used to reduce an individual’s intake of airborne radioactive materials.

DHS 157.03(318) (318) “Restricted area” means an area, access to which is limited by the licensee or registrant for the purpose of protecting individuals against undue risks from exposure to sources of radiation. “Restricted area” does not include areas used as residential quarters, but separate rooms in a residential building may be set apart as a restricted area.

DHS 157.03(318m) (318m) “Reviewing official” means the individual who shall make the trustworthiness and reliability determination of an individual to determine whether the individual may have, or continue to have, unescorted access to the category 1 or category 2 quantities of radioactive materials that are possessed by the licensee.

DHS 157.03(319) (319) “Roentgen” or “R” means the special unit of exposure. One roentgen equals 2.58E-4 coulombs per kilogram of air.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: See the definition of the term “exposure” and also s. DHS 157.06 (4) for a further explanation of units of exposure.

DHS 157.03(319g) (319g) “Sabotage” means the act of any person who intentionally damages, interferes, or tampers with reasonable grounds to believe his or her act will hinder, delay, or interfere with the normal operation of any one of the following:

DHS 157.03(319g)(a) (a) A category 1 or category 2 quantity of radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(319g)(b) (b) A device that contains a category 1 or category 2 quantity of radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(319g)(c) (c) The components of the security system.

DHS 157.03(319r) (319r) “Safe haven” means a readily recognizable and readily accessible site at which security is present or from which, in the event of an emergency, the transport crew can notify and wait for the local law enforcement authorities.

DHS 157.03(320) (320) “Sanitary sewerage” means a system of public sewers for carrying off wastewater and refuse, but excluding sewage treatment facilities, septic tanks and leach fields owned or operated by the licensee or registrant.

DHS 157.03(321) (321) “Scan” means the complete process of collecting x-ray transmission data for the production of a tomogram. Data may be collected simultaneously during a single scan for the production of one or more tomograms.

DHS 157.03(322) (322) “Scan increment” means the amount of relative displacement of the patient with respect to the CT x-ray system between successive scans measured along the direction of such displacement.

DHS 157.03(323) (323) “Scan sequence” means a pre-selected set of 2 or more scans performed consecutively under pre-selected CT conditions of operation.

DHS 157.03(324) (324) “Scan time” means the period of time between the beginning and end of x-ray transmission data accumulation for a single scan.

DHS 157.03(325) (325) “Scattered radiation” means ionizing radiation emitted by interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, the interaction being accompanied by a change in direction of the radiation.

DHS 157.03(326) (326) “SCO-I” means a surface contaminated object (SCO) for which all of the following apply:

DHS 157.03(326)(a) (a) The non-fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4 Bq/cm2 (10 -4  microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 0.4 Bq/cm2 (10-5 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(326)(b) (b) The fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4x104 Bq/cm2 (1.0 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4x103 Bq/cm2 (0.1 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(326)(c) (c) The non-fixed contamination plus the fixed contamination on the inaccessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4x104 Bq/cm2 (1.0 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4x103 Bq/cm2 (0.1 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(327) (327) “SCO-II” means a surface contaminated object (SCO) for which the limits for SCO-1 are exceeded and on which all of the following apply:

DHS 157.03(327)(a) (a) The non-fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 400 Bq/cm2 (10 -2 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 40 Bq/cm2 (10 -3 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(327)(b) (b) The fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 8x105 Bq/cm2 (20 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8x104 Bq/cm2 (2 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(327)(c) (c) The non-fixed contamination plus the fixed contamination on the inaccessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 8x105 Bq/cm2 (20 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8x104 Bq/cm2 (2 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

DHS 157.03(328) (328) “Sealed source” means any radioactive material that is encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(329) (329) “Sealed Source and Device Registry” or “SSDR” means the national registry that contains all the registration certificates, maintained by the NRC that summarize the radiation safety information for the sealed sources and devices and describe the licensing and use conditions approved for the product.