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Information Needed:
Public Health Issue

1 curie of Radium-226 Discovered in
West Chester Trash Container

On January 19, 2012, a load of construction debris set off radiation alarms at Waste Management Inc.'s (WMI) Norristown, PA, transfer station. WMI detained the truck and deployed a health physicist to recover the radioactive material, identified as approximately 1 curie of radium-226. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) health physicists worked with WMI to properly evaluate and store the radium.

The radium-226 was contained in four capsules inside a small lead safe marked "Radium Chemical Co., Inc." The safe and some very old equipment were stored inside a larger, locking metal box, which had been pried open.

The contents of the box appear to have been medical devices used as long ago as the 1920s. The box had been placed in a dumpster being used by construction workers at the Hershey's Mill retirement community in West Chester, PA.

Although the capsules contained in the radium are currently being stored at a licensed facility and present no danger to the public, it is important to learn more about where and for how long this safe and its radioactive contents were kept prior to January 19, 2012.

If you have any information about where this material came from or you have had contact with the box and its radium-226 contents, please let us know! Direct your confidential comments and questions to: David Allard, (717) 787-2480
or email BRP at RA-EPBRPEnvPrt@pa.gov

Public Health Issue flyer, full text (PDF)

News Release: DEP Seeks Information About Antique Medical Kit Containing Radium-226


Lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material Metal box containing lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material
   
  Metal box containing lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material, with lid closed  

The American Lung Association (ALA) in
Pennsylvania and Radon

Free Radon Test Kits available, while supplies last

The ALA has been a partner with the PA DEP/Radon Division for many years in an effort to increase public awareness of radon, testing for radon, and mitigation of radon problems

Please see the ALA link below for additional important information on radon and radon test kits. A limited supply is available for Pennsylvania residents who have not yet tested their homes

http://www.lunginfo.org/freeradonkit


1st Annual EPA Region III
Radon Stakeholders Meeting

April 4-5, 2012, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Registration deadline:  February 22, 2012

We invite you to join us for the First Annual Region III Stakeholders Meeting. We look forward to seeing all interested parties concerned with protecting the public from unnecessary exposure to radon in homes, schools, public and private buildings.

Your host, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), through a State Indoor Radon Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brings you this NO COST meeting. Our goal is to bring together everyone/anyone who is interested in protecting the public from radon exposure.

Radon Stakeholders Meeting full description, agenda and registration instructions


Announcement of Availability of the
Texas Regional Facility for Disposal of Commercial
Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW)

The Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission wishes to inform all Low-Level Radioactive Waste generators that a new LLRW disposal facility began accepting LLRW as of November 2011.

This new facility is located in Andrews County, Texas, and is operated by Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS). LLRW generators located in states not part of the Texas Compact (i.e.,Texas & Vermont) must secure a contract with WCS and abide by the rules and regulations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission. LLRW generators must file import petitions and receive approval prior to shipment to the Texas Regional Facility.

Generators of LLRW, and in particular those currently storing Class B & C waste, in the states of the Appalachian Compact should consider the availabilty of the Texas Regional Facility in the development of strategies for management and disposal of LLRW.

Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission Chairman's letter to the generators (PDF)

Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission homepage


FDA Drug Safety Communication:
FDA alerts healthcare professionals to stop
performing heart scans with CardioGen-82
due to potential for increased
radiation exposure in patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare professionals to stop using CardioGen-82 for cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The manufacturer, Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. has decided to voluntarily recall CardioGen-82.

FDA recommends that healthcare professionals use alternatives to the CardioGen-82 generator when planning nuclear medicine cardiac scans. Patients who have any questions or concerns should talk to their healthcare professional.

FDA continues to work with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the CardioGen-82 manufacturer to determine the root cause for the increased radiation exposure detected in the two patients. The extent to which any additional patients may have received inadvertent radiation exposure is also under investigation. FDA plans to notify the public with updates.

FDA Drug Safety Communication dated July 26, 2011

BRP Information Notice 2011-03:
Request for Information Regarding the Feasibility and
Impacts Associated with Potential Changes to
Occupational Dose Limits

This Information Notice (IN) is to request feedback regarding the potential impacts associated with changes to radiation protection standards currently defined in 10 CFR Part 20 and incorporated by reference in Pa. Code Title 25 Sec. 219.5

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) establishes occupational dose limits and is considering lowering the limits to those recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 103. The current dose limit for an occupational radiation worker is 50 mSv/yr (5 rem/yr) and the fetal dose to a declared pregnant worker is 5 mSv (0.5 rem). ICRP is recommending 20 mSv/yr (2 rem/yr) and 1 mSv (0.1 rem), respectively.

The NRC has awarded a contract to SC&A, Inc. to perform a national survey and tabulate potential impacts to licensees and registrants. Please respond via the following link: https://acrobat.com/?d=vraWYERZAnw-gyZlJQewzQ

BRP Information Notice (IN) dated May 18, 2011 PDF
BRP Information Notice 2010-01:
Medical Events from Radiation Exposure
During the Use of Computed Tomography,
Fluoroscopy and Medical Accelerator Teletherapy

DEP Urges Medical Facilities to Take Proper Precautions
with X-Ray Equipment to Avoid Health Hazards:
Facilities Asked to Immediately Review
Procedures, Reporting Requirements

The Bureau of Radiation Protection has issued an Information Notice to alert medical facilities of the potential radiological hazards and "medical event" reporting requirements associated with certain patient radiation exposures that may result from unnecessary, inappropriate or improperly calibrated medical diagnostic or therapeutic X-ray or accelerator procedures and devices.

Press Release dated March 3, 2010

BRP Information Notice (IN) dated March 1, 2010 PDF

BRP Fact Sheet: Medical Reportable Events and Other Medical Reports for Radiation-Producing Machines (Used for Therapy or Diagnosis) PDF
DEP Document #2910-FS-DEP4034
Safety Investigation of
CT Brain Perfusion Scans:
Initial Notification

The Board of Directors of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD) strongly recommends that hospitals and CT facilities, review their CT protocols including quality assurance improvements and overexposure prevention to ensure their protocols are appropriate in providing the best possible CT studies while assuring patient exposures are as low as reasonably achievable.

FDA has become aware of radiation overexposures during perfusion CT imaging to aid in the diagnosis of a stroke

FDA Medical Device Safety Alert, dated October 8, 2009
Click here for full text of FDA alert

Note:  Patients should follow their doctor's recommendations for receiving CT scans. While unnecessary radiation exposure should be avoided, a medically-needed CT scan has benefits that outweigh the radiation risks.
NRC Information Notice 2009-18:
Performance of Required Shutter
Checks and Reporting of
Gauge Shutter Failures

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an Information Notice to alert fixed gauge specific and general licensees about the potential for the failure of shutter closure mechanisms on fixed gauges and the requirements for reporting these events to the NRC. It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar incidents.

Since 1990, NRC received numerous reports of fixed gauge shutter closure failures occurring during shutter closure checks performed by licensees. The initial reports indicated that the failures of the shutter open/close mechanisms were sudden and unexpected and most resulted in the inability of the licensee to close the shutter on the device. In addition, most of these reports indicated a breakage of some part of the shutter closure mechanism.

NRC Medical Device Safety Alert, dated September 18, 2009
Click here for full text of NRC Information Notice 2009-18 (PDF)
DEP Issues Final Technical Guidance Document
Addressing Continuing Education
for Medical X-Ray Operators

Medical X-ray Procedures Operator Training Guide (PDF)

List of Resources Satisfying Initial and Continuing Education Requirements for Healing-Arts X-ray Operators Involved in High-Risk or Low-Risk Procedures (PDF)

Dental Continuting Education Training Resources List (PDF)
Temporary Regulation Change
Due to Technetium-99m Shortage

DEP regulations incorporate by reference certain NRC regulations, and it is our policy to use NRC guidance as appropriate for our PA Agreement State licensing program. The NRC has issued an “Exemption from 10 CFR Part 32 and 10 CFR Part 35 requirements on procurement and transfer for technetium-99m, and calibration of instrumentation using technetium-99m”, and DEP-BRP is in concurrence with this exemption. Details of the exemption are available electronically at the NRC’s Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Licensees may only find regulatory relief from these specific requirements while there is a shortage of Mo-99/Tc-99m, and should monitor the PA Bulletin and our website for additional related information in the future.
Radiation & Granite Countertops
Click here for information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)


Effective March 31, 2008, Pennsylvania is now an
NRC Agreement State

DEP Agreement State Program Information

Job Vacancy Announcement:
Radiation Health Physicist

 Click here for information on the
Agreement State Program
The Bureau's Mission and Its Divisions

BRP Mission StatementThe Bureau's mission is to ensure that public, occupational and environmental exposure to radiation from man-made and controllable natural sources is As-Low-As-Reasonably-
Achievable (ALARA).

The Bureau oversees the regulation and inspection of users of machine radiation sources throughout the Commonwealth and conducts a comprehensive environmental radiation monitoring program.  It also conducts a nuclear safety review and evaluates nuclear power plants and conducts an emergency radiation response program.  It administers a statewide radon program and licenses and inspects users of radium and accelerator-produced radioactive material.  It also administers a program for siting and regulating any future low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Pennsylvania.

  • Bureau Director's Office

    • The Director's Office provides general management, personnel and communication services to the Bureau.

  • Decommissioning & Environmental Surveillance Division

    • The Decommissioning and Environmental Surveillance Division includes the Commonwealth's D&D Quehanna project.

    • The Decommissioning Section performs technical reviews of decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities for radioactive materials licensees in accordance with appropriate state and federal criteria.

    • The Environmental Surveillance Section monitors the radiological environment around:

  • Nuclear Safety Division

    • The Nuclear Safety Section conducts a comprehensive nuclear power plant oversight review program at the five nuclear power facilities in Pennsylvania.

    • The Radioactive Waste & Emergency Response Section regulates and oversees the activities associated with the siting of a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facility in Pennsylvania. It also provides planning and support for Bureau response to accidents or incidents involving radioactive material in Pennsylvania.

  • Radiation Control Division

    • This Division is made up of two sections and is supported by the Regional Radiation Protection Staff.

    • Radioactive Material (RAM) Section — Licenses facilities in Pennsylvania that possess radioactive material. The solid waste radiation monitoring action plan reviews are also performed by this section.

    • Accelerator and X-Ray Section — Registers facilities in Pennsylvania that possess x-ray machines; licenses facilities possessing accelerators; and registers radiation-producing machine vendors/service providers. The contracted FDA Mammography inspection program is also under the direction of this section.

    • Regional Radiation Protection Staff — Located out of three main offices located in Pittsburgh, Norristown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that inspect facilities with mammography x-ray machines, RAM, accelerators and/or x-ray machines for compliance and enforcement of the applicable Pennsylvania regulations.

    • Information and application forms for the following items are available on the Radiation Control website:
      • RAM licensing
      • Accelerator licensing
      • Computed Tomography (CT) screening
      • X-ray machine registration
      • Vendor/Service Provider registration
      • Mammography (MQSA) inspections

  • Radon Division

    • Learn more about radon from our videos. Topics include:
      • Radon health risks,
      • Radon testing, and
      • Radon mitigation

    • Also included is the administration of a certification program for radon testing, mitigation and laboratory analysis, individuals and firms.

    • Our website has information about certification, testing and mitigation.

    • View our Radon Services Directory to check for a person's certification status.

    • Also has links to other radon information.

  • Fact Sheets, Technical Reports & Research Information

    • Reports, Fact Sheets and Studies by department personnel and Stakeholder Working Groups such as Potassium Iodide (KI).

  • Radiation Answers

    • The Health Physics Society (HPS) has introduced a new website, Radiation Answers, http://www.radiationanswers.org, intended as a citizen's guide to radiation. The site seeks to increase understanding of radiation and to allay fears by providing accurate information about its uses and risks. The HPS is a nonprofit professional organization whose mission is promoting excellence in the science and practice or radiation safety.

  • BRP Information

    • This is the page to visit when you need information on the Bureau as a whole including:
      • History of the Bureau,
      • Statutes and Regulations,
      • Key contacts, and
      • Directions to the office

  • Links to Radiation Protection Websites

    • Use this page to access other websites that deal with radiation and radiation protection.