Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 206 / Tuesday, October 24, 2000 / Proposed Rules 63753

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

10 CFR Parts 34, 36 and 39

RIN 3150–AG21

New Dosimetry Technology

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is proposing to

amend its regulations that govern

radiological safety to allow licensees to

use any type of personnel dosimeter that

requires processing to determine the

radiation dose, provided that the

processor of the dosimeter is accredited

to process this type of dosimeter under

the National Laboratory Accreditation

Program (NVLAP), operated by the

National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST).

DATES: Comments on the proposed rules

must be received on or before November

24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Mail comments to

Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington, DC 20555–

0001, Attention: Rulemaking and

Adjudications Staff.

Hand deliver comments to 11555

Rockville Pike, Maryland, between 7:30

a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays.

You may also provide comments via

the NRC’s interactive rulemaking

website (http://ruleforum.llnl.gov). This

site provides the capability to upload

comments as files (any format), if your

web browser supports that function. For

information about the interactive

rulemaking site, contact Ms. Carol

Gallagher, (301) 415–5905, e-mail

cag@nrc.gov.

For more information, contact the

NRC Public Document Room (PDR)

Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–

415–4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Betty Ann Torres, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555–0001, telephone,

(301) 415–0191, email: BAT@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For

additional information see the direct

final rule published in the rules section

of this Federal Register.

Procedural Background

Because the NRC considers this action

noncontroversial and routine, we are

publishing this proposed rule

concurrently with a direct final rule.

The direct final rule will become

effective on January 8, 2001. However,

if the NRC receives significant adverse

comments on the direct final rule, by

November 24, 2000, the NRC will

publish a document to withdraw the

direct final rule. If the direct final rule

is withdrawn, the NRC will address the

comments received in response to the

proposed revisions in a subsequent final

rule. Absent significant modifications to

the proposed revisions requiring

republication, the NRC will not initiate

a second comment for this action if the

direct final rule is withdrawn.

List of Subjects

10 CFR Part 34

Criminal penalties, Packaging and

containers, Radiation protection,

Radiography, reporting and

recordkeeping requirements, Scientific

equipment, Security measures.

10 CFR Part 36

Byproduct material, Criminal

penalties, Nuclear materials, Reporting

and recordkeeping requirements,

Scientific equipment, Security

measures.

10 CFR Part 39

Byproduct material, Criminal

penalties, Nuclear material, Oil and gas

exploration-well logging, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements, Scientific

equipment, Security measures, Source

material, Special nuclear material.

For reasons set out in the preamble

and under the authority of the Atomic

Energy Act of 1954, as amended; the

Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as

amended; and 5 U.S.C. 553; the NRC is

proposing to adopt the following

amendments to 10 CFR parts 34, 36, and

39.

PART 34—LICENSES FOR

RADIOGRAPHY AND RADIATION

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR

RADIOGRAPHIC OPERATIONS

1. The authority citation for part 34

continues to read as follows:

Authority: Secs. 81, 161, 182, 183, 68 Stat.

935, 948, 953, 954, as amended (42 U.S.C.

2111, 2201, 2232, 2233); sec. 201, 88 Stat.

1242, as amended (42 U.S.C. 5841). Section

34.45 also issued under sec. 206. as Stat.

1246 (42 U.S.C. 5846).

2. In § 34.47, the introductory text of

paragraph (a), and paragraphs (a)(2),

(a)(3), (a)(4), (d), (e), and (f) are revised

to read as follows:

§ 34.47 Personnel monitoring.

(a) The licensee may not permit any

individual to act as a radiographer or a

radiographer’s assistant unless, at all

times during radiographic operations,

each individual wears, on the trunk of

the body, a direct reading dosimeter, an

operating alarm ratemeter, and a

personnel dosimeter that is processed

and evaluated by an accredited National

Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation

Program (NVLAP) processor. At

permanent radiography installations

where other appropriate alarming or

warning devices are in routine use, the

wearing of an alarming ratemeter is not

required.

* * * * *

(2) Each personnel dosimeter must be

assigned to and worn only by one

individual.

(3) Film badges must be replaced at

periods not to exceed one month and

other personnel dosimeters processed

and evaluated by an accredited NVLAP

processor must be replaced at periods

not to exceed three months.

(4) After replacement, each personnel

dosimeter must be processed as soon as

possible.

* * * * *

(d) If an individual’s pocket chamber

is found to be off-scale, or if his or her

electronic personal dosimeter reads

greater than 2 millisieverts (200

millirems), and the possibility of

radiation exposure cannot be ruled out

as the cause, the individual’s personnel

dosimeter must be sent for processing

within 24 hours. In addition, the

individual may not resume work

associated with licensed material use

until a determination of the individual’s

radiation exposure has been made. This

determination must be made by the RSO

or the RSO’s designee. The results of

this determination must be included in

the records maintained in accordance

with § 34.83.

(e) If the personnel dosimeter that is

required by paragraph (a) of this section

is lost or damaged, the worker shall

cease work immediately until a

replacement personnel dosimeter

meeting the requirements in paragraph

(a) is provided and the exposure is

calculated for the time period from

issuance to loss or damage of the

personnel dosimeter. The results of the

calculated exposure and the time period

for which the personnel dosimeter was

lost or damaged must be included in the

records maintained in accordance with

§ 34.83.

(f) Dosimetry reports received from

the accredited NVLAP personnel

dosimeter processor must be retained in

accordance with § 34.83.

* * * * *

3. In § 34.83, paragraphs (c) and (d)

are revised to read as follows:

§ 34.83 Records of personnel monitoring

procedures.

* * * * *

63754 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 206 / Tuesday, October 24, 2000 / Proposed Rules

(c) Personnel dosimeter results

received from the accredited NVLAP

processor until the Commission

terminates the license.

(d) Records of estimates of exposures

as a result of: off-scale personal direct

reading dosimeters, or lost or damaged

personnel dosimeters until the

Commission terminates the license.

PART 36—LICENSES AND RADIATION

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR

IRRADIATORS

4. The authority citation for part 36

continues to read as follows:

Authority: Secs 81, 82, 161, 182, 183, 186,

68 Stat. 935, 948, 953, 954, 955, as amended,

sec. 234, 83 Stat. 444, as amended (42 U.S.C.

2111, 2112, 2201, 2232, 2233, 2282); secs.

201, as amended, 202, 206, 88 Stat.1242, as

amended 1244, 1246 (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842,

5846).

5. In § 36.55, paragraph (a) is revised

to read as follows:

§ 36.55 Personnel monitoring.

(a) Irradiator operators shall wear a

personnel dosimeter that is processed

and evaluated by an accredited National

Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation

Program (NVLAP) processor while

operating a panoramic irradiator or

while in the area around the pool of an

underwater irradiator. The personnel

dosimeter processor must be accredited

for high energy photons in the normal

and accident dose ranges (see 10 CFR

20.1501(c)). Each personnel dosimeter

must be assigned to and worn by only

one individual. Film badges must be

processed at least monthly, and other

personnel dosimeters must be processed

at least quarterly.

* * * * *

6. In § 36.81, paragraph (e) is revised

to read as follows:

§ 36.81 Records and retention periods.

* * * * *

(e) Evaluations of personnel

dosimeters required by § 36.55 until the

Commission terminates the license.

* * * * *

PART 39—LICENSES AND RADIATION

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR WELL

LOGGING

7. The authority citation for part 39

continues to read as follows:

Authority: Secs. 53, 57, 62, 63, 65, 69, 81,

82, 161, 182, 183, 68 Stat. 929, 930, 932, 933,

934, 935, 948, 953, 954, 955, as amended,

sec. 234, 83 Stat. 444, as amended (42 U.S.C.

2073, 2077, 2092, 2093, 2095, 2099, 2111,

2112, 2201, 2232, 2233, 2236, 2282); secs.

201, as amended, 202, 206, 88 Stat. 1242, as

amended, 1244, 1246 (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842,

5846).

8. In § 39.65, paragraphs (a) and (c)

are revised to read as follows:

§ 39.65 Personnel Monitoring.

(a) The licensee may not permit an

individual to act as a logging supervisor

or logging assistant unless that person

wears, at all times during the handling

of licensed radioactive materials, a

personnel dosimeter that is processed

and evaluated by an accredited National

Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation

Program (NVLAP) processor. Each

personnel dosimeter must be assigned to

and worn by only one individual. Film

badges must be replaced at least

monthly and other personnel dosimeters

replaced at least quarterly. After

replacement, each personnel dosimeter

must be promptly processed.

* * * * *

(c) The licensee shall retain records of

personnel dosimeters required by

paragraph (a) of this section and

bioassay results for inspection until the

Commission authorizes disposition of

the records.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day

of September, 2000.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

William D. Travers,

Executive Director for Operations.

[FR Doc. 00–26989 Filed 10–23–00; 8:45 am]

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