Proposed Federal Radiation Protection Guidance For Occupational Exposure

"The Canadian Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) Transport Guidelines set out principles and procedures for classification, handling and transport of NORM in Canada. These Guidelines also provide guidance for interpretation of the applicable federal regulations as they pertain strictly to NORM and provide the framework for development of more detailed NORM transport practices and guidelines by provincial regulatory authorities, affected industries and specific workplaces. Should a difference between these NORM Transport Guidelines and the applicable federal regulations occur, the federal regulations shall prevail"--Introduction, page 3.

The present Safety Guide provides general guidance on the establishment of an effective radiation protection programme for occupational exposure, appropriate for the sources of radiation likely to be encountered in a range of industries, medical institutions, educational and research establishments and nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The report further provides the necessary guidance to meet the requirements as laid down in Safety Series No. 115, International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (1996).

Naturally occurring radionuclides are found throughout the earth's crust, and they form part of the natural background of radiation to which all humans are exposed. Many human activities-such as mining and milling of ores, extraction of petroleum products, use of groundwater for domestic purposes, and living in houses-alter the natural background of radiation either by moving naturally occurring radionuclides from inaccessible locations to locations where humans are present or by concentrating the radionuclides in the exposure environment. Such alterations of the natural environment can increase, sometimes substantially, radiation exposures of the public. Exposures of the public to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) that result from human activities that alter the natural environment can be subjected to regulatory control, at least to some degree. The regulation of public exposures to such technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory and advisory organizations is the subject of this study by the National Research Council's Committee on the Evaluation of EPA Guidelines for Exposures to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials.