sure through consumption. Exposure from smoking has been estimated to
be 1.3 mrem (13mSv)/year, which is not included in Table 16.1, because it is
difficult to calculate the collective effective dose equivalent for the entire
population. The total exposure from consumer products varies between 5
and 13 mrem (50 and 130mSv)/year.
Occupational exposure is received by the workers in reactor plants, coal
mines, and other industries using radionuclides. This value is about 0.9 mrem
(9mSv)/year, which is quite small, because a great deal of precaution is taken
to reduce exposure in the workplace.
Nuclear power plants around the country release small amounts of
radionuclides to the environment, which cause radiation exposure to the
population. This value is of the order of 0.05 mrem (0.5mSv)/year.
License
Authorization for the use of radioactive materials is granted by issuance of
a license by the NRC or the Agreement State. There are two types of
licenses:
- General domestic license: Although the general domestic license is
given for the use of by-product material in various devices according to
10CFR31, only the provisions of 10CFR31.11 are applicable for general
license for the use of by-product material in certain in vitro clinical labo-
ratory tests. Such general licenses are given to physicians, veterinarians, clin-
ical laboratories, and hospitals only for in vitro tests, not for the use of
by-product material in humans or animals. An application must be filed with
the NRC using the Form NRC-483, “Registration Certificate—In vitro
Testing with By-product Material under General License” and a validated
copy must be obtained prior to the use of by-product material. The total
amount to be possessed at any one time should not exceed 200mCi (7.4
MBq) of^125 I,^131 I,^75 Se, and/or^59 Fe. The amount of^14 C and^3 H can be obtained
in units of 10mCi (370 kBq) and 20mCi (740 kBq), respectively. The prod-
ucts must be supplied in prepackaged units. - Specific licenses: The specific licenses are given in two categories: one
to manufacture or transfer for commercial distribution certain items con-
taining by-product material (10CFR32) and the other to possess, use, and
transfer by-product material in any chemical or physical form with the lim-
itations of the maximum activity specified (10CFR33). The former types of
specific licenses are typically given to commercial manufacturers. The latter
type is called the specific license of broad scope or “broad license” and has
three categories based on the maximum activity allowed for the receipt,
acquisition, ownership, possession, use, and transfer of any chemical or
physical form of by-product material (10CFR33.11). The Type A broad
license allows specified quantities of activities usually in multicuries; the
Type B broad license allows maximum activities of by-product material
270 16. Radiation Regulations and Protection