Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Each licensee
shall do the following.
1. Follow radiation
safety and handling instructions approved by the department, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, an agreement state, or a licensing state, and furnished
by the manufacturer on the label attached to the source, device, or permanent
container thereof, or in the leaflet or brochure that accompanies the source or
device, and maintain such instruction in a legible and conveniently available
form.
2. Assure that needles or
standard medical applicator cells containing cobalt-60 as wire, radium-226, or
cesium-137 are not opened while in the licensee's possession unless
specifically authorized by the department.
B. A licensee in possession of a sealed
source shall assure that:
1. the source is
tested for leakage before its first use unless the licensee has a certificate
from the supplier indicating that the source was tested within six months
before transfer to the licensee; and
2. the source is tested for leakage at
intervals not to exceed six months or at intervals approved by the department,
another agreement state, a licensing state, or the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
C. To
satisfy the leak test requirements of Subsection B of this Section, the
licensee shall assure that:
1. leak tests are
capable of detecting the presence of 0.005 microcurie (185 Bq) of radioactive
material on the test sample or, in the case of radium, the escape of radon at
the rate of 0.001 microcurie (37 Bq) per 24 hours;
2. test samples are taken from the source or
from the surfaces of the device in which the source is mounted or stored on
which radioactive contamination might be expected to accumulate; and
3. test samples are taken when the source is
in the "off" position.
D. A licensee shall retain leak test records
for two years. The records shall contain the model number and serial number, if
assigned, of each source tested; the identity of each source radionuclide and
its estimated activity; the measured activity of each test sample expressed in
microcuries (becquerels); a description of the method used to measure each test
sample; the date of the test; and the signature of the radiation safety
officer.
E. If the leak test
reveals the presence of 0.005 microcurie (185 Bq) or more of removable
contamination, the licensee shall:
1.
immediately withdraw the sealed source from use and store it in accordance with
the requirements of these regulations; and
2. file a written report with the Office of
Environmental Compliance within five days of receiving the leak test results
describing the equipment involved, the test results, and the action
taken.
F. A licensee
need not perform a leak test on the following sources:
1. sources containing only radioactive
material with a half-life of less than 30 days;
2. sources containing only radioactive
material as a gas;
3. sources
containing 100 microcuries (3.7 MBq) or less of beta- or photon-emitting
material or 10 microcuries (370 kBq) or less of alpha-emitting
material;
4. seeds of iridium-192
encased in nylon ribbon; and
5.
sources stored and not being used. The licensee shall, however, test each such
source for leakage before any use or transfer unless it has been tested for
leakage within six months before the date of use or transfer.
G. A licensee in possession of a
sealed source or brachytherapy source shall conduct a physical inventory of all
such sources at intervals not to exceed three months. The licensee shall retain
each inventory record for five years. The inventory records shall contain the
model number of each source and serial number if one has been assigned, the
identity of each source radionuclide and its estimated activity, the location
of each source, date of the inventory, and the signature of the radiation
safety officer.
H. A licensee in
possession of a sealed source or brachytherapy source shall survey with a
radiation survey instrument at intervals not to exceed three months all areas
where such sources are stored. This does not apply to teletherapy sources in
teletherapy units or sealed sources in diagnostic devices.
I. A licensee shall retain a record of each
survey required in Subsection H of this Section for two years. The record shall
include the date of the survey, a sketch of each area that was surveyed, the
measured dose rate at several points in each area expressed in milliroentgens
per hour, the model number and serial number of the survey instrument used to
make the survey, and the signature of the radiation safety officer.
J. Before the first medical use of a
brachytherapy source on or after October 24, 2002, a licensee shall have:
1. determined the source output or activity
using a dosimetry system that meets the requirements of LAC
33:XV.755.A;
2. determined source
positioning accuracy within applicators; and
3. used published protocols currently
accepted by nationally-recognized bodies to meet the requirements of Paragraphs
J.1 and J.2 of this Section.
K. A licensee may use measurements provided
by the source manufacturer or by a calibration laboratory accredited by the
American Association of Physicists in Medicine that are made in accordance with
Subsection J of this Section.
L. A
licensee shall mathematically correct the outputs or activities determined in
Subsection J of this Section for physical decay at intervals consistent with 1
percent physical decay.
N. Strontium-90 Sources for
Ophthalmic Treatments.
1. Licensees who use
strontium-90 for ophthalmic treatments shall ensure that certain activities as
specified in Paragraph N.2 of this Section are performed by either:
a. an authorized medical physicist;
or
b. an individual who:
i. is identified as an ophthalmic physicist
on a specific medical use license issued by the NRC or an agreement state;
permit issued by an NRC or agreement state broad scope medical use licensee;
medical use permit issued by an NRC master material licensee; or permit issued
by an NRC master material licensee broad scope medical use permittee;
ii. holds a master's or doctor's degree in
physics, medical physics, other physical sciences, engineering, or applied
mathematics from an accredited college or university;
iii. has successfully completed one year of
fulltime training in medical physics and an additional year of full-time work
experience under the supervision of a medical physicist; and
iv. has documented training in:
(a). the creation, modification, and
completion of written directives;
(b). procedures for administrations requiring
a written directive; and
(c).
performing the calibration measurements of brachytherapy sources as detailed in
LAC 33:XV.719.J.
2. The individuals who are identified in
Paragraph N.1 of this Section shall:
a.
calculate the activity of each strontium-90 source that is used to determine
the treatment times for ophthalmic treatments. The decay shall be based on the
activity determined under LAC 33:XV.719.J; and
b. assist the licensee in developing,
implementing, and maintaining written procedures to provide high confidence
that the administration is in accordance with the written directive. These
procedures shall:
i. include the frequencies
that the individual meeting the requirements in Paragraph N.1 of this Section
will observe treatments;
ii. review
the treatment methodology;
iii.
calculate treatment time for the prescribed dose; and
iv. review records to verify that the
administrations were in accordance with the written directives.
3. Licensees shall
retain a record of the activity of each strontium-90 source for the life of the
source in accordance with LAC 33:XV.744.C.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
30:2001 et seq. and
2104.B.
