Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: a5cfec96-8785-464b-ada8-dc4424b90606
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Quality Assurance for Radiological Monitoring Programs
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 4
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0630/ML063060429.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-4.15
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
hat the guide could remain useful, provided the user is selective in its application and relies more on the discussed principles and not the specific applications. For example, the guidance related to the NRC’s and EPA’s sample-splitting programs, both of which have been terminated, would be outdated, and the user would be expected to substitute the guidance for these programs with that for currently available performance evaluation programs. 12 As amended by 56 Federal Register 23360, May 21, 1991. DG-4010, Page 19 However, new reactors will have to comply with all current requirements of 10 CFR 20,12 which the current Regulatory Guide does not address. In addition, even for currently licensed reactors, there are potential problems with continued reliance on the current version. A decision by the NRC to retain the current guide would imply endorsement of obsolete or discredited practices and could lead to inconsistencies with industry and other Federal and State agencies. To retain the current version of Regulatory Guide 4.15 would constitute maintenance of outdated guidance that is inconsistent with current programs and expectations. Because references to existing NRC regulations are incorrect, retaining the current guide would impose unnecessary burdens on industry to determine, without contemporary NRC guidance, which of the recommended procedures or methods remain valid and which should be superseded. Finally, retaining the current guide would undermine the NRC’s technical credibility during a period of anticipated expansion of radiological monitoring and sampling. In short, the current guide does not offer complete and consistent guidance to the industry. 3.2 Alternative 2: Revoke the Guidance and Rely Solely On Industry Standards Since 1979, several key industry standards and an interagency manual have been developed that provide guidance for ensuring the quality of environmental measurements and radioanalytical laboratories. Three of these — MARLAP,