Public Workshop on the Regulation of Radioactive Devices

Proposed Rules

Federal Register

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Proposed Rules

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Parts 30, 31, 32, 40 and 70

Public Workshop on the Regulation of Radioactive Devices

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The NRC will hold a public workshop in Rockville, Maryland to

review the regulatory program for devices containing radioactive

materials licensed under 10 CFR Parts 30, 31, 32, 40 and 70. Interested

members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting, however, for

efficient conduct of the workshop, participation will be in the format

of a round table discussion among invited representatives of

potentially affected parties. The NRC has prepared a workshop agenda.

This and related documents are available for review prior to the

workshop and interested parties are encouraged to review this

information. The NRC will accept and consider written comments from

interested parties on this regulatory issue.

DATES: The workshop will be held on January 18, 1996 from 9:00 am to

5:00 pm. The workshop will continue, if necessary, on January 19, 1996

from 9:00 am to 12 noon. Comments on this regulatory issue should be

received no later than January 31, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The public workshop will be held in the NRC auditorium at

Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.

Visitor parking around the NRC building is limited, however, the

workshop site is adjacent to the White Flint station on the Metro Red

Line. Written comments can be provided at the workshop or by January

31, 1996 to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Docketing and Service Branch. Copies

of the agenda and related documents can be obtained from the NRC's

Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW, Washington DC 20037; Phone:

202-634-3273; Fax: 202-634-3343.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Francis X. Cameron, Mail Stop O-15B18,

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; Phone: 301-

415-1642; Fax: 301-415-3200; INTERNET:[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Inadequate control of radioactive devices by

licensees has lead to radioactive materials being included in metal

scrap intended for recycling (see J. Lubenau & J. Yusko, ``Radioactive

materials in Recycled Metals,'' Health Physics, 68:4, April, 1995).

Radioactive sources have been accidentally smelted in metal mills

resulting in radioactive contamination of mills, metal products and

mill byproducts. In the U.S., costs attributable to decontamination,

waste disposal and temporary mill closures following a smelting of a

radioactive source have been as much as $23,000,000 per event. There is

a risk of radiation exposure to unsuspecting workers and members of the

public. In 1990, the Commission determined that the problem needed to

be addressed and directed a rulemaking to improve oversight of

generally licensed devices. The proposed rule was published for public

comment in 1991 (56 FR 67011, 26 December 1991). In 1993, however,

finalization of the rule was deferred because of resource constraints.

Instead, the Commission directed the staff to pursue alternatives. In

1995, the Commission approved formation of a joint Agreement State--

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Working Group to review the

regulation of all devices containing licensed radioactive materials to

assess the current regulatory program for these devices and provide

recommendations to the Commission.

The Working Group held its initial meeting October 24-25, 1995, and

a second meeting on December 19-20, 1995, in Rockville, Maryland. The

Working Group members are Robert Free, Texas and Joel Lubenau, NRC, Co-

chairs; Robin Haden, North Carolina, Martha Dibblee, Oregon; Rita

Aldrich, New York (alternate); Lloyd Bolling, NRC and John Telford,

NRC. James Yusko, Pennsylvania, is serving as liaison to the Working

Group for the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors. James

Richardson, NRC Nuclear Safety Attache in Vienna, Austria is serving as

liaison for the International Atomic Energy Agency. At its initial

meeting, in addition to the Working Group members, 28 representatives

of the metal recycling and steel manufacturing industries, devices

vendors and users, health physics consultants and government agencies

attended. Minutes of the first and second meetings of the Working Group

and other background information are available for public inspection

and copying for a fee at the NRC Public Document Room, under the file,

``Review Group--Radioactive Devices.''

The public workshop is intended to provide an opportunity for

stakeholders to have an input into the Working Group assessment of the

need for regulatory changes and development of recommendations, as

needed, for regulatory options to improve controls of licensed devices

and assure their proper disposal. A target date of May 1996 has been

set for the Working Group to develop and finalize its recommendations.

For efficient conduct of the workshop, the meeting format will be a

round table discussion among invited representatives from affected

interests, e.g., the metal recycling industry and recycled metal

consumers, device vendors and users, Federal and state regulators and

citizen groups. The workshop will be open to the public, and the public

will be provided opportunities throughout the workshop to comment on

the issues presented for discussion.

If the Working Group recommends changes in NRC regulations and the

Commission agrees, such changes would be proposed through a subsequent

NRC public rulemaking process.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of December 1995.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Malcolm R. Knapp,

Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 96-108 Filed 1-3-96; 8:45 am]

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