Okla. Admin. Code § 252:410-1-2

Current through Vol. 42, No. 3, October 15, 2024
Section 252:410-1-2 - Definitions

The following words or terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In cases of conflict between the definitions of this section and those incorporated by reference from 10 CFR, 10 CFR definitions incorporated by reference into Subchapter 10 shall prevail for purposes of the Radioactive Materials Program; definitions incorporated by reference into Subchapter 21 shall prevail for NESHAP purposes; and definitions incorporated by reference into Subchapter 20, shall apply to all persons subject to this Chapter.

"Accelerator-produced material" means any material made radioactive by a particle accelerator.

"Access panel" means any barrier or panel on a cabinet which is designed to be removed or opened for maintenance or service purposes, requires tools to open and allows access to the interior.

"Agreement State" means any State with which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission has entered into an effective agreement under subsection 274(b) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (73 Stat. 689; 42 USC § 2021et seq.).

"Analytical x-ray system" means a group of components utilizing x or gamma rays to determine the elemental composition or to examine the microstructure of materials.

"Anniversary date" means the issuance day and month of a permit or license.

"Application" means a written request for a new, amended or renewed authorization.

"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 or her employee or agent who assembles components into an x-ray system that is subsequently used to provide professional or commercial services.

"Authorization" means any DEQ radiation management plan approval, certificate, individual certification, permit, license, or reciprocity recognition required by this Chapter.

"Beam-limiting device" means a device which provides a means to restrict the dimensions of the x-ray field.

"Byproduct material" means:

(A) Any radioactive material (except special nuclear material) yielded in, or made radioactive by, exposure to the radiation incident to the process of producing or using special nuclear material;

(B) The tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or concentration of uranium or thorium from ore processed primarily for its source material content, including discrete surface wastes resulting from uranium solution extraction processes. Underground ore bodies depleted by these solution extraction operations do not constitute "byproduct material" within this definition;

(C) Any discrete source of radium-226 that is produced, extracted, or converted after extraction, before, on, or after August 8, 2005, for use for a commercial, medical, or research activity; or

(D) Any material that:

(i) Has been made radioactive by use of a particle accelerator; and

(ii) Is produced, extracted, or converted after extraction, before, on, or after August 8, 2005, for use for a commercial, medical, or research activity; and

(E) Any discrete source of naturally occurring radioactive material, other than source material, that:

(i) The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of any other appropriate Federal agency, determines would pose a threat similar to the threat posed by a discrete source of radium-226 to the public health and safety or the common defense and security; and

(ii) Before, on, or after August 8, 2005, is extracted or converted after extraction for use in a commercial, medical, or research activity.

"Calibration" means the determination of:

(A) the response or reading of an instrument relative to a series of known radiation values over the range of the instrument, or

(B) the strength of a source of radiation relative to a standard.

"Central axis of the beam" means a line passing through the virtual source and the center of the plane figure formed by the edge of the first beam limiting device.

"CFR" means the Code of Federal Regulations.

"Chapter" means, unless specified otherwise, OAC 252:410, Radiation Management.

"Collimator" means a device or mechanism by which the x-ray beam is restricted in size.

"Contact therapy" 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.

"Control panel" means that part of the radiation machine control upon which are mounted the switches, knobs, push buttons, and other hardware necessary for manually setting the technique factors.

"Corresponding authorization" means a permit, license or certification issued to a person by an out-of-state entity that authorizes the same or similar radiation management activities as those authorized by DEQ for this state.

"DEQ" means the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

"Dose monitoring system" means a system of devices for the detection, measurement, and display of quantities of radiation.

"Dose monitor unit" means a unit response from the dose monitoring system from which the absorbed dose can be calculated.

"Exposure rate" means the exposure per unit of time, such as Roentgen per minute and milliRoentgen per hour.

"Facility" or "Site" means the location at which one or more radiation producing units are located and/or installed. Facilities or sites with several such units located and/or installed in different buildings and/or vehicles, but at the same street address and under the same administrative control will be considered to be one facility.

"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.

"Field size" means the dimensions along the major axes of an area in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the useful beam of incident radiation at a normal treatment distance and defined by the intersection of the major axes and the 50 percent isodose line. Material shall be placed in the beam such that dose maximum is produced at the normal treatment distance when field size is being determined.

"Filter" means material placed in the useful beam to absorb preferentially selected radiations.

"Focal spot" means the area projected on the anode of the x-ray tube by the electrons accelerated from the cathode and from which the useful beam originates.

"Gantry" means that part of the system supporting and allowing possible movement of the radiation head.

"Half-value layer" , also known as "HVL", means the thickness of specified material which attenuate 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.

"Healing arts" means those professional disciplines authorized by the laws of this state to use x-rays or radioactive material in the diagnosis or treatment of human or animal disease.

"Industrial radiographer" means an individual who performs or personally supervises industrial radiographic operations and who is responsible to their employer or contractor permittee or licensee for assuring compliance with the requirements of this Chapter and the conditions of the permit or license.

"Industrial radiography" means a non-destructive testing method that uses ionizing radiation such as gamma rays or x-rays to make radiographic images for the purpose of detecting flaws in objects.

"Industrial x-ray system" means an x-ray system used in manufacturing or for industrial quality control.

"Inspection" means an official examination or observation including but not limited to, records, tests, surveys, and monitoring to determine compliance with rules, orders, requirements, and conditions of the DEQ.

"Interlock" means a device arranged or connected such that the occurrence of an event or condition is required before a second event or condition can occur or continue to occur or, where applicable, means a device for precluding access to an area of high radiation by automatically reducing the exposure rate.

"Interruption of radiation" means stopping irradiation with the possibility of continuing irradiation without resetting of operating conditions at the control panel.

"Irradiation" means the exposure of matter to ionizing radiation.

"Isocenter" means the intersection of the collimator axis of rotation and the gantry axis of rotation.

"kV" means kilovolts.

"kVp" means the maximum value of the potential difference across the x-ray tube during an exposure and shall be deemed to be equivalent to kilovolts peak.

"Lead equivalent" means the thickness of lead affording the same attenuation, under specified conditions, as the material in question.

"Leakage radiation" means radiation emanating from the therapeutic source assembly except for:

(A) the useful beam; and

(B) radiation produced when the exposure switch or timer is not activated.

"Leakage technique factors" means the technique factors which are used in measuring leakage radiation associated with the diagnostic or therapeutic assembly. They are defined as follows:

(A) for diagnostic tube housing assemblies intended for capacitor energy storage equipment, the maximum-rated peak tube potential (kVp) 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 millicoulombs, i.e., 10 milliampere-seconds, or the minimum obtainable from the unit, whichever is larger.

(B) for diagnostic tube housing 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 tube housing assemblies, the maximum-rated peak tube potential and the maximum-rated continuous tube current for the maximum-rated peak tube potential.

"Local components" mean part of a radiation machine and include areas that are struck by radiation such as housings, port and shutter assemblies, collimators, sample holders, cameras, goniometers, detectors, and shielding, but do not include power supplies, transformers, amplifiers, readout devices, and control panels.

"mA" means milliampere.

"MeV" means million electron volts.

"Moving beam therapy" means radiation therapy with relative displacement of the useful beam and/or the patient during irradiation. It includes arc therapy, skip therapy, conformational therapy, and rotational therapy.

"Nominal treatment distance" means:

(A) for electron irradiation, the distance from the scattering foil or exit window of the electron beam to the surface along the central axis of the useful beam, or from the virtual source to the surface along the central axis of the useful beam as specified by the manufacturer.

(B) for x-ray irradiation, the virtual source or target to isocenter distance along the central axis of the useful beam. For nonisocentric equipment, this distance shall be that specified by the manufacturer.

"Normal operating procedures" mean step-by-step instructions necessary to accomplish the task. These procedures shall include sample insertion and manipulation, equipment alignment, routine maintenance by the permittee, and data recording procedures, which are related to radiation safety.

"NRC" means the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"Open-beam system" means an x-ray system in which an individual could accidentally place some part of his body in the primary beam path during normal operation.

"Part" means the numbered Part of the Subchapter in which the reference appears unless specified otherwise.

"Particle accelerator" means any machine capable of accelerating electrons, protons, deuterons, or other charged particles in a vacuum and of discharging the resultant particulate or other radiation into a medium at energies usually in excess of 1 MeV.

"Patient" means an individual subjected to a healing arts examination, diagnosis or treatment.

"Peak tube potential" (See kVp).

"Permanent x-ray radiographic installation" means an enclosed shielded room, cell or vault in which radiography is performed.

"Permittee" means any person who holds a permit issued by the DEQ in accordance with this Chapter.

"Personnel monitoring equipment" means devices such as film badges, pocket dosimeters, and thermoluminescent dosimeters designed to be worn or carried by an individual for the purpose of estimating the dose received by the individual.

"Phantom" means a volume of material behaving in a manner similar to tissue with respect to the attenuation and scattering of radiation.

"Practical range of the electrons" corresponds to classical electron range where the only contribution to dose is from bremsstrahlung x-rays.

"Primary authorization" means the radiation management license, permit or certification issued by an out-of-state entity which DEQ has recognized under reciprocity.

"Primary beam" means ionizing radiation emitted from the target and passing through the window of the x-ray tube housing.

"Primary dose monitoring system" means a system which will monitor the useful beam during irradiation and which will terminate irradiation when a pre-selected number of dose monitor units have been acquired.

"Protective barrier" means a barrier of radiation absorbing material(s) used to reduce radiation exposure. The types of protective barriers are as follows:

(A)"Primary protective barrier" means the material, excluding filters, placed in the useful beam, for protection purposes, to reduce the radiation exposure.

(B)"Secondary protective barrier" means a barrier sufficient to attenuate the stray radiation (the sum of leakage and scattered radiation) to the required degree.

"Qualified expert" means a person certified in an appropriate field by the American Board of Radiology in Physics, the American Board of Health Physics, the American Board of Medical Physics, the American Board of Nuclear Medicine Science, or persons otherwise deemed to have equivalent qualifications.

"Radiation detector" means a device which in the presence of radiation provides a signal or other indication suitable for use in measuring one or more quantities of incident radiation.

"Radiation head" means the structure from which the useful beam emerges.

"Radiation machine" means any device capable of producing radiation except those which produce radiation only from radioactive material.

"Radiation safety officer" means an individual who has the responsibility to apply and enforce the overall radiation safety program at a facility or site.

"Radioactive material" means any solid, liquid, or gas which emits radiation spontaneously.

"Radioactive Materials Program"means the DEQ radiation management program for licensing of certain categories of radioactive materials based on the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Code including the Oklahoma Radiation Management Act; the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2011et seq. as amended; Title II of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. 5801et seq.; the State Agreement; this Chapter (OAC 252:410) including the rules incorporated from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and orders or licenses issued thereunder.

"Radioactivity" means the transformation of unstable atomic nuclei by the emission of radiation.

"Radiological physicist" means a person certified by the American Board of Radiology as either a radiological physicist or a radiation therapy physicist or by the American Board of Medical Physics certified in therapy physics, or persons with equivalent qualifications.

"Rating" means the operating limits as specified by the component manufacturer.

"Reciprocity recognition" means DEQ has recognized a person's radiation management authorization issued by an out-of-state entity as a primary authorization and, on the strength of that underlying authorization and the person's compliance record in that and other recognizing states, has authorized that person to perform certain corresponding radiation management activities in Oklahoma without a DEQ-issued permit, license or certification.

"Recognized person" means a person approved by DEQ for reciprocity recognition.

"Restricted area" (controlled area) means any area, access to which is controlled by the permittee, for the purpose of protecting individuals from exposure to radiation and radioactive material. A restricted area shall not include any areas used for residential quarters, although a room or rooms in a residential building may be set apart as a restricted area.

"Roentgen" means the special unit of exposure. One Roentgen (R) equals 2.58 x 10-4 coulombs/kilogram of air.

"Scattered radiation" means radiation that, during passage through matter, has been deviated in direction. The term includes direct scattered and primary scattered radiation which has been deviated in direction only by materials irradiated by the useful beam.

"Sealed source" means any radioactive material that is encapsulated to prevent leakage or escape of the radioactive material.

"Secondary dose monitoring system" means a system which will terminate irradiation in the event of failure of the primary system.

"Shutter" means a device attached to the tube housing assembly which can totally intercept the useful beam and which has a lead equivalency not less than that of the tube housing assembly.

"Source material" means uranium or thorium, or any combination thereof, in any physical or chemical form, or ores which contain by weight one-twentieth of one percent or more of uranium, thorium, or any combination thereof. Source material does not include special nuclear material.

"Special nuclear material" means plutonium, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, and any other material which the NRC determines to be special nuclear material, or any material artificially enriched by any of the foregoing, but does not include source material.

"Spot-check" means a procedure which is performed to assure that a previous calibration continues to be valid.

"State agreement" means the agreement between the NRC and the State of Oklahoma with effective date of September 29, 2000, transferring to DEQ the NRC's regulatory authority in the State of Oklahoma for certain categories of radioactive material including: byproduct material, source material used to take advantage of its density and high-mass property where the use of the specifically licensed source material is subordinate to the primary specifically licensed use of byproduct material, and special nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass.

"Stationary beam therapy" means radiation therapy without relative displacement of the useful beam and the patient during irradiation.

"Subchapter" means a Subchapter of this Chapter unless stated otherwise.

"Target" means that part of a radiation head which by design intercepts a beam of accelerated particles with subsequent emission of other radiation.

"Technique factors" means the conditions of operation. They are specified as follows:

(A) for capacitor energy storage equipment, peak tube potential (kVp) in kV and quantity of charge in milliampere second (mAs);

(B) for field emission equipment rated for pulsed operation, peak tube potential in kV and number of x-ray pulses;

(C) for CT equipment designed for pulsed operations, peak tube potential in kV, scan time in seconds, and either tube current in mA, x-ray pulse width in seconds, and the number of x-ray pulses per scan or the product of tube current, x-ray pulse width, and the number of x-ray pulses in mAs;

(D) for CT equipment not designed for pulsed operation, peak tube potential in kV, and either tube current in mA and scan time in seconds or the product of tube current and exposure time in mAs and the scan time when the scan time and exposure time are equivalent; and

(E) for all other equipment, peak tube potential in kV and either tube current in mA and exposure time in seconds or the product of tube current and exposure time in mAs.

"Temporary job site" means a location where radioactive materials or radiation machines are used, other than the specific use location(s) listed on a permit or license.

"Termination of irradiation" means the stopping of irradiation in a fashion which will not permit continuance of irradiation without the resetting of operating conditions at the control panel.

"Test" means the process of verifying compliance with an applicable regulation.

"Traceable to a national standard" means that a quantity or a measurement has been compared to a national standard directly or indirectly through one or more intermediate steps and that all comparisons have been documented.

"Tube housing assembly" means the tube housing with the tube installed. It includes any high-voltage and/or filament transformers and other appropriate elements contained within the tube housing.

"Useful beam" means the radiation emanating from the tube housing port or the radiation head and passing through the aperture of the beam limiting device when the exposure controls are in a mode to cause the system to produce radiation.

"Virtual source" means a point from which radiation appears to originate.

"Wedge filter" means an added filter effecting continuous progressive attenuation on all or part of the useful beam.

"X-ray field" means that area of the intersection of the useful beam and any one of the set of planes parallel to and including the plane of the image receptor, whose perimeter is the locus of points at which the exposure rate is one-fourth of the maximum in the intersection.

"X-ray high-voltage generator" means a device which transforms electrical energy from the potential supplied by the x-ray control to the tube operating potential. The device may also include means for transforming alternating current to direct current, filament transformers for the x-ray tube(s), high-voltage switches, electrical protective devices, and other appropriate elements.

"X-ray system" means an assemblage of components for the controlled production of x-rays. It includes minimally an x-ray high-voltage generator, an x-ray control, a tube housing assembly, a beam-limiting device, and the necessary supporting structures. Additional components which function with the system are considered integral parts of the system.

"X-ray tube" means any electron tube which is designed to be used primarily for the production of x-rays.

"10 CFR" means Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Okla. Admin. Code § 252:410-1-2

Added at 17 Ok Reg 1136, eff 6-1-00; Amended at 21 Ok Reg 1531, eff 6-11-04; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 1193, eff 7-1-09