Federal Organizations
We also need to be aware of several federal organizations oversening regulations in the
United States, including the NRC, NCRP, FDA, EPA, OSHA, NRC-BEIR and the NIH.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was established
by Congress in 1974.
It functions to ensure safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes,
while protecting people and the environment.
Nuclear power plants and nuclear medicine is regulated through the NRC through licensing,
inspection and enforcement, which focus on research reactors, storage of radioactive
materials, and waste disposal.
It also establishes dose limit guidelines, licensing requirements, and rules for safe
use of radioactive materials.
It’s important to note that the NRC does not regulate or inspect imaging facilities.
It does, however, enforce regulations involving the Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations,
Part 19 for training requirements of radiation workers, dose limits for radiation workers,
and Title 10, Part 20 pertaining to maintaining a radiation worker dose history database.
The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements was originally established
in 1029, then chartered by Congress in 1964.
It developed over 150 scientific reports, several of which are being cited in this course,
and its rules and regulations have been published in the Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations.
The NCRP’s main role is to advise State and Federal regulators on radiation protection
issues and concerns.
It collects, analyzes, and distributes data and regulations about radiation protection,
quantities and measurements.
The most current reports take a look at image-guided interventional medical procedures and CT examinations,
and they provide recommendations for imaging protocols, managing procedure times, and equipment
dose-reduction techniques.
They have formed a legal agreement with State governments to license and regulate radioisotope
usage for nuclear medicine, and it’s also important to note that imaging professionals
are responsible for staying up-to-date on current issues and NCRP Reports and recommendations.
The United States Food and Drug Administration is typically considered responsible for regulating
food and drugs, but in 1968 the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act (Public
Law 90-602) created the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and extended
the FDA’s role to include issues related to radiation protection.
Under this law, the FDA regulates the design and manufacturing of electronic products and
medical devices including diagnostic x-ray equipment.
Public Law 90-602 ensures that the public is protected from the hazards of unnecessary
radiation exposure.
The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon to facilitate
the development and enforcement of regulations pertaining to the control of radiation in
the environment.
It has the authority for specific areas such as determining the action level for radon.
OSHA is a monitoring agency with regard to hazards in the workplace regulating occupational
exposure to radiation and mandates an employee’s “right to know” about possible workplace
dangers.
This includes hazardous substances, infectious agents, and ionizing and nonionizing radiation.
The National Research Council Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation
is an advisory research group that assesses risk.
Their 1990 report stated that risks to radiation exposure was 3-4 times greater than previously
estimated.
The IRCP reduce d their annual occupational dose limit as a result of this report, which
was BEIR V. The most current report, BEIR VII, supports a linear, non-threshold risk
model.
The National Institutes of Health initially began in 1887 as a one-room lab within the
Marine Hospital Service.
It is now a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the largest
biomedical research agency in the world.
It conducts federally-funded medical research in 27 institutes and influences regulations
and practices relating to imaging equipment.
The NIH has successfully established a series of steps to improve the tracking of patient
radiation exposures and requires equipment vendors to include radiation dose-tracking
technologies.