Florida Administrative Code › 64 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › 64E - Division of Environmental Health › Chapter 64E-5 - CONTROL OF RADIATION HAZARDS › Section 64E-5.501 - Definitions

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
As used in this part, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Accessible surface" means the external
				surface of any enclosure or housing.
(2) "Added filtration" means any filtration
				which is in addition to the inherent filtration.
(3) "Aluminum equivalent" means the thickness
				of type 1100 aluminum alloy affording the same degree of radiation attenuation,
				under specified conditions, as the material in question. The nominal chemical
				composition of type 1100 aluminum alloy is 99.00 percent minimum aluminum, 0.12
				percent copper.
(4) "Assembler"
				means any person engaged in the business of assembling, replacing or installing
				one or more components into an x-ray system or subsystem. The term includes the
				owner of an x-ray system or his employee or agent who assembles components into
				an x-ray system that is subsequently used to provide professional or commercial
				services.
(5) "Attenuation block"
				means a block or stack, having dimensions 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters by
				3.8 centimeters, of type 1100 aluminum alloy or other materials having
				equivalent attenuation.
(6)
				"Automatic exposure control" means a device which automatically controls one or
				more technique factors in order to obtain, at a preselected location, a
				required quantity of radiation. See also "Phototimer."
(7) "Barrier." See "Protective
				barrier."
(8) "Beam axis" means a
				line from the source through the centers of the x-ray field.
(9) "Beam-limiting device" means a device
				which provides a means to restrict the dimensions of the x-ray field, except
				for beam-blocking or beam-shaping devices used in radiation therapy.
(10) "Beam monitoring system" means a system
				designed to detect and measure the radiation present in the useful
				beam.
(11) "Cephalometric device"
				means a device intended for the radiographic visualization and measurement of
				the dimensions of the human head.
(12) "Certified components" means components
				of x-ray systems which are subject to regulations promulgated under Public Law
				90-602, the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968.
(13) "Certified system" means any x-ray
				system which has one or more certified components.
(14) "Changeable filters" means any filter
				which can be readily removed from the useful beam through any electronic,
				mechanical or physical process.
(15) "Contact therapy system" means an x-ray
				system used for therapy with the x-ray tube port placed in contact with or
				within 5 centimeters of the surface being treated.
(16) "Control panel" means that part of the
				x-ray control upon which are mounted the switches, knobs, pushbuttons and other
				hardware necessary for manually setting the technique factors and operating
				modes.
(17) "Cooling curve" means
				the graphical relationship between the heat units stored and cooling
				time.
(18) "Dead-man switch" means
				a switch so constructed that a circuit closing contact can be maintained only
				by continuous pressure on the switch by the operator.
(19) "Diagnostic source assembly" means the
				tube housing assembly with a beam-limiting device attached.
(20) "Diagnostic x-ray system" means an x-ray
				system designed for irradiation of any part of the human body as an aid to
				diagnosis through visualization of anatomical parts.
(21) "Direct scattered radiation" means that
				radiation which has been deviated in direction only by materials irradiated by
				the useful beam. See also "Scattered radiation."
(22) "Entrance exposure rate" means the
				roentgens (C per kg) per unit time at the point where the center of the useful
				beam enters the patient.
(23)
				"Equipment". See "X-ray equipment."
(24) "Field emission equipment" means
				equipment which uses an x-ray tube in which electron emission from the cathode
				is due solely to the action of an electric field.
(25) "Filter" means material placed in the
				useful beam to preferentially absorb selected radiation.
(26) "Fluoroscopic imaging assembly" means a
				subsystem in which x-ray photons produce a fluoroscopic image. It includes the
				image receptors such as the image intensifier and spot film device, equipment
				housings, electrical interlocks, if any, the primary protective barrier, and
				structural material providing linkage between the image receptor and the
				diagnostic source assembly.
(27)
				"General purpose radiographic x-ray system" means any diagnostic radiographic
				x-ray system, except computed tomography systems, which, by design, is not
				limited to radiographic examination of a specific anatomical region.
(28) "Gonad shield" means a primary
				protective barrier for the testes or ovaries.
(29) "Half-value layer (HVL)" means the
				thickness of specified material which attenuates the beam of radiation to an
				extent such that the exposure rate is reduced to one-half of its original
				value. In this definition, the contribution of all scattered radiation, other
				than any which might be present initially in the beam concerned, is deemed to
				be excluded.
(30) "Healing arts
				self-referral" means the testing of human beings using x-ray machines for the
				detection or evaluation of health indications when such tests are not
				specifically and individually ordered by a licensed practitioner of the healing
				arts legally authorized to prescribe such x-ray tests for the purposes of
				diagnosis or medical treatment.
(31) "Heat unit" means a unit of energy equal
				to the product of the peak kilovoltage, milliamperes, and seconds, or kVp x mA
				x seconds.
(32) "Image intensifier"
				means a device, when installed in its housing, that instantaneously converts an
				x-ray pattern into a corresponding light image of higher energy
				density.
(33) "Image receptor"
				means any device, such as a fluorescent screen or radiographic film, which
				transforms incident x-ray photons either into a visible image or into another
				form which can be made into a visible image by further electronic or chemical
				transformations.
(34) "Image
				receptor support" means that part of a mammographic system designed to support
				the image receptor in a horizontal plane during the mammographic
				examination.
(35) "Inherent
				filtration" means the filtration of the useful beam provided by the permanently
				installed components of the x-ray tube housing assembly.
(36) "Irradiation" means the exposure of
				matter to ionizing radiation.
(37)
				"Kilovolts peak (kVp)." See "Peak tube potential."
(38) "kV" means kilovolts.
(39) "kWs" means kilowatt second. It is
				equivalent to kV x mA x seconds x 10-3.
(40) "Lead equivalent" means the thickness of
				lead affording the same attenuation, under specified conditions, as the
				material in question.
(41) "Leakage
				radiation" means radiation emanating from the diagnostic or therapeutic source
				assembly, except for the useful beam and radiation produced when the exposure
				switch or timer is not activated.
(42) "Leakage technique factors" means the
				technique factors associated with the diagnostic or therapeutic source assembly
				which are used in measuring leakage radiation. They are defined as follows:
(a) For diagnostic source assemblies intended
				for capacitor energy storage equipment, the maximum rated peak tube potential
				and the maximum rated number of exposures in an hour for operation at the
				maximum rated peak tube potential with the quantity of charge per exposure
				being 10 milliampere seconds (10 mAs) or the minimum obtainable from the unit,
				whichever is larger.
(b) For
				diagnostic source assemblies intended for field emission equipment rated for
				pulsed operation, the maximum rated peak tube potential and the maximum rated
				number of x-ray pulses in an hour for operation at the maximum rated peak tube
				potential.
(c) For all other
				diagnostic or therapeutic source assemblies, the maximum rated peak tube
				potential and the maximum rated continuous tube current for the maximum rated
				peak tube potential.