Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Radiation Program
Frequently asked questions about radioactive materials licensing
1. How do I amend my radioactive materials license? How much does it cost?
2. Why
must I submit a complete, new application for a renewal of a
radioactive materials?
3. How long will it take to obtain a radioactive materials
license?
4. Where can I obtain information about licensing radioactive material
in Colorado?
5. Reciprocity - who do I notify if I need to bring radioactive materials into
Colorado? How much does it cost?
6. How do I report radiation emergencies or incidents?
7. How do I document an
annual program audit?
8. How do I determine compliance with the public dose
requirements?
1.
How do I amend my radioactive materials license? How much does it cost?
Renewals
should be submitted on Form OR-RH-12. Amendments may be requested in a letter.
The letter should clearly state what changes are requested, and should reference existing
license conditions that are to be changed.
A copy of Form OR-RH-12 may
be downloaded in Adobe .pdf format, or obtained from Jennifer Opila at (303) 692-3403.
For
most licenses, there is no charge for the amendment. Generally, only
licensees billed at an hourly rate will be charged for amendments.
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2. Why must I submit a complete, new application for a
renewal of a radioactive materials license, even if there have been no
changes since the license was first issued?
Licenses
are renewed every five (5) years. During that time, the Regulations change, and a
licensee's procedures can change. By submitting a complete application every
five (5)
years, a licensee can both identify any changes in operations, and compare those
operations against current regulations.
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3. How long will it take to obtain a
radioactive materials license?
The length
of time required to process a license application depends on the workload at the time the
request is received, the complexity of the request, and the completeness of the
application. If all necessary information is included with the application,
licensing requests are generally processed within two to
three weeks.
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4.
Where can I obtain information about licensing radioactive material in
Colorado?
Questions about radioactive materials licenses in Colorado should be
directed to Jennifer Opila, Radioactive Materials Unit, at
(303) 692-3403.
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5.
Reciprocity - Who do I notify if I need to bring radioactive materials into Colorado? How
much does it cost?
Any person
or entity desiring to temporarily bring non-exempt radioactive material into
Colorado
must notify the Radiation Program at least three days prior to
entering the State, and must receive approval from the
Program before actual entrance
into the State.
A current
copy of the requestor's radioactive materials license must be on file with the Department,
and the applicant must have a copy of the State of Colorado Rules
and Regulations Pertaining to Radiation Control in
possession while in Colorado.
Under
Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Radiation Control,
12.4.4.3, the Department shall charge an
annual management fee for persons operating in the
state under reciprocity. The fee for radioactive material brought into the
state under reciprocity is equal to 75 percent of the
appropriate annual fee. Reciprocal fees shall be due and payable prior to
entry into the state.
Base annual fees can be found at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/regulations/radiationcontrol/
100701_12radiationfeesmaterialslicenses.pdf
A copy of
the application form for
reciprocity can be downloaded in Adobe .pdf format, or can be obtained
from Megan Brown, (303) 691-4931.
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6. How do I report radiation emergencies or incidents?
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Radiation Management emergency cell phone number is
303-877-9757. The cell phone is active 24 hours
per day, seven days per week. During business hours, non-emergency radiation management calls
can be directed to Steve Tarlton, 303-692-3423.
The Department's 24-hour Environmental Release and Incident
Reporting line remains active at 877-518-5608.
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7. How do I document an annual program audit?
A report of
the program review must be on file as required in the Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Radiation Control 4.41. However, the report format is
not specified and is left to the person conducting the inspection. The extremes in the
reporting format range from one or two lines stating it has been accomplished, to the
listing of every procedure and record as having been reviewed. The first extreme is not
adequate and the last is usually too cumbersome.
The purpose
of the self-inspection is to ascertain the quality of the radiation protection program and
to report the results to management. A checklist is one easy way to complete this task.
The checklist should list the conditions of the license, the Regulations which apply to
the program, and good health physics practices. Each item of the report is then checked
for adequacy, inadequacy, or if corrected during the inspection. The report can also be
appended with comments for particular items. The report must include a signature and title
of the individual conducting the inspection and the date. In addition, management should
review the report, also providing a signature and date. This record will be evaluated for
accuracy and completeness during your next inspection by the Radiation
Management Unit.
If you have questions about the annual review or inspection process,
please call Jennifer Opila at (303) 692-3403.
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8. How do I determine compliance with the public dose requirements?
Licensees
and registrants must maintain exposures so that the total effective dose equivalent to
individual members of the public from the licensed or registered operation does not exceed
1 milliSievert in a year; and the dose in any unrestricted area from external sources does
not exceed 0.02 milliSievert in any one hour. (See RH 4.14 and 4.15 of the
Regulations.) Compliance can be demonstrated by surveys and/or
calculations. The Division has available for downloading a guideline to evaluate public doses
to
assist in the evaluation of public doses.
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