Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 221 - SELECTION OF VOLUNTEER PERSONNEL TO ESTABLISH / MAINTAIN RADIATION MONITORING PROGRAM › Section 144-221-1.0 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
1.1 Purpose. The
				purpose of this section is to establish and maintain a continuous airborne
				radiation monitoring system consisting of volunteers who shall report their
				findings to the Radiation Control Program.
1.2 Statutory Authority. 22 MRSA
				S674
1.3 Definitions.
a. Airborne Radioactive Material - Any
				radioactive material dispersed in the air in the form of dusts, fumes, mists,
				vapors or gases.
b. Airborne
				Release - Any release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere. Releases may
				be those permitted under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation or those
				which occur as unscheduled, unplanned or accidental releases.
c. Alarm Event - For the Geiger Rate meter, a
				discrete happening, wherein the detected radiation per unit time, counts per
				minute, exceeds a predetermined set point. This set point, or alarm level, will
				be established based upon the actual background reading at the specific site.
				The alarm setting will generally be 3 times background readings.
d. Background count - Background count means
				the level of radiation detected by the radiation monitors through natural
				radioactivity.
e. Compass Sector -
				For a circle, with center at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant, any one of the 16
				sectors of 22 1/2[DEGREE] of arc, centered on the cardinal compass points.
				(North, North North East, North East, Fast North East, East, East South East,
				South Fast, South South East, South, South South West, South Nest, West South
				West, West, West North West, North West and North North West)
f. Maine Yankee - Maine Yankee Atomic Power
				Plant.
g. Monitoring Devices - For
				the purpose of interpreting these rules, radiation monitoring equipment means a
				radiation monitoring device in which the detector is of the type commonly known
				as Geiger, Geiger-Mueller, or GM Tube.
h. Monitoring Network - A network of
				volunteer monitors located around Maine Yankee. for the purpose of monitoring
				airborne releases of radioactivity.
i. Radioactivity - The transformation of
				unstable atomic nuclei by emission of radiation.
j. Radiation - Ionizing radiation, which, for
				the purpose of these rules includes:
1. beta
				particles - charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an atom, with a mass
				and charge equal in magnitude to that of the electron.
2. gamma ray - short wavelength
				electromagnetic radiation of nuclear origin (range of energy from 10 KeV to 9
				MeV) emitted from the nucleus.
k. Radiation Control Program - The designated
				state agency within the Department of Human Services responsible for
				environmental surveillance monitoring and general oversight of the operations
				of Maine Yankee.
l. Volunteers -
				Those individuals who volunteer to participate in the monitoring network. The
				monitors participate without financial compensation and agree to abide by these
				rules.