Radiological HealthYear 2000 in Review

Legislation2000 General Assembly

• HB1487 Mammography-inspections• HB1488 Mammography- film• HJR 403- On the death of William T. Ham, Jr• SB 679- Health professions; pharmacy.• HB 2655 (1999) No appropriation for NRC

Agreement State startup funds.

HB1487 Mammography

Inspection of facilities where mammography services are performed. Requires the Board of Health to make scheduled and unannounced inspections of facilities and physicians' offices that perform mammography services to ensure compliance with the laws, regulations or conditions specified by the Board. The Board currently inspects X-ray machines on a regular basis and has the general power to enter any property housing an entity which is permitted, licensed or certified by the Board.

HB 1488 Mammography

Requires the Board of Health to establish guidelines to require that licensed facilities or physicians' offices that perform mammography services to the patient, prior to departure, to develop the film to ensure the quality and integrity of the film.

HJR 403- On the death of William T. Ham, Jr.

SB 679- Health professions; pharmacy.

Defines radiopharmaceutical as "any drug that exhibits spontaneous disintegration of unstable nuclei with the emission of nuclear particles or photons" (with certain exceptions) and establishes precise requirements for dispensing radiopharmaceuticals in terms of the containers, the prescription data, and physician and patient specifications. Also defines a nuclear medicine technologist and provides a definition for scope of duties under a qualified nuclear pharmacist.

HB 2655 (1999)

No appropriation for NRC Agreement State startup funds.

2001 SessionSB 838 Health; radon proficiency listings.Authorizes the Board of Health to list and accept as proficient, to offer screening, testing or mitigation for radon, persons acceptable to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the National Radon Measurement Proficiency Program of the National Environmental Health Association or the National Radon Safety Board Certified Radon Professional Program or any other proficiency program acceptable to the Board. This bill revises and updates acceptable radon proficiency credentials. Current law only provides for proficiency listing by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has, however, discontinued the National Radon Proficiency Program and has not designated a successor program.

Certificate of Public Need (COPN)Joint Commission on Health Care

•Eliminate COPN, with exceptions•Recommendations for protecting public health and safety for machines/services not under COPN•recommendations for evaluating e affects of eliminating COPN•Applies to CT, MRI, lithotripters, radiation therapy, and gamma knife

Regulations Proposed changes will include:

• NRC's revisions to the Radiation Protection Standards in 1992 and again in 2000

• Legislative changes made in 1999, 2000, and if applicable 2001

• Adopt the latest version of the State Suggested Regulations

• Implement sections of the State Code that have not been implemented, specifically bonding and surety requirements.

Guidance Documents

• X-ray film retention• XRF users• X-ray dosimetry• Inspections of bone densitometers and

operator licensure• Usage of US DOT exemptions for Waste

and Scrap metal shipments

FundingSFY 2000

SFY2001

General Funds 671,853 701,059Federal FundsMammography 158,358 164,893EPA-radon 56,668 60,000EPA- "Tools for 60,000 60,000Schools"Special FundsDEM Environmental 18,000 18,000MonitoringOtherDEM- reimbursement 50,000 38,000for emergency prep.

Staffing

• 14 FTEs• 1 wage• 1 Office Temp

Turn-over

•2 full time staff

•3 wage staff

Activities

• Radioactive Materials• X-ray• Emergency Planning• Emergency/Incident Response• Radon• Environmental Monitoring• Non-Ionizing

Radioactive MaterialsLicensing & InspectionsTotal Licenses 209New Licenses 14Terminated Licenses 10Amendments 108Renewals 72Inspections 70Violations 8Misadministrations 0Lost or Stolen Sources 1Reciprocity Requests 13Close out Reviews 9

X-ray Machines• ~ 17,000 X-ray machines(including

industrial)• ~5,000 facilities• 191 Private Inspectors• 221 active mammography facilities(includes 4

provisionally accredited)• Bone densitometers increasingly popular

X-ray Machines by TypeBone density 271

Chiropractic 492

Dental 9,619

Hospital 1,686

Medical 1,507

Podiatry 218

Veterinary 780

X-ray Machines by Typein State Facilities

Dental 221

Hospital 179

Medical 48

Veterinary 33

VDH-Dental 115

VDH-Medical 17 Grand Total 15,186

Emergency Preparedness

• Staff assisted DEM with training the local jurisdiction participants

• Providing support to DEM such as calibrating pocket dosimeters, ordering equipment.

• Last FEMA evaluated exercise was on December 5, 2000 at North Ann, next exercise is in June 26, 2001 at Surry

• Staff participated in terrorist exercise with NRC and FBI in table top exercise in Lynchburg in April, 2000

• Observed nuclear exercise at Newport News Shipyard; also toured new facility for handling refueling operations.

• NRC issues new rule on December 21, 2000 regarding stockpiling KI for public

Emergency/Incident Response

• US DOT exemptions for scrap metal (7) and municipal waste shipments(0) and responds to returned shipments (4&3).

• City of Chesapeake closed primary road due to a low activity source in a tool shed in a residential area.

• BWXT- leak in handling pool that probably existed for several years.

• Westmoreland County- Board of Supervisors requested technical assistance for public hearing regarding restrictive zoning ordinance for industrial park that forbid all radioactive materials. NRC also attended.

Radon• Dept. of Housing and Community Development adopted

on voluntary basis the radon resistant construction techniques in EPA designated Zone One localities. Chesterfield County will be one of the first to adopt this ordinance.

• EPA issued preliminary radon in drinking water standard. VDH recommends to Governor to use the Multi-Media Mitigation approach

• EPA misses its Congressional mandate to publish Drinking Water Rule for Radon in Water in August, 2000. Anticipate after February, 20001

• Radon Proficiency Requirements• Radon professionals are concerned, more media attention,

more citizen requests for information

Environmental Monitoring

EPA issues new radionuclide standards in drinking water December, 2000. New rule modifies standard for Uranium currently no limit, now 30 micro grams/liter, and now separate measurements for Ra-226 and Ra-228. Expect separate standard for Ra-224 in next rule making.

Radiological Health staff concludes DCLS apparently swapped environmental samples after control site was reported to have significant radiological levels, and the settling pond was later to have significantly lower than normal levels.

Radiological Health staff observes the environmental collections at the two shipyards, Newport News, and the Navy.

Monitor at two Power Stations, BWXT- no environmental releases detected

Non Ionizing

Tanning BedsStaff received about 24 citizen inquiries in the past year and half regarding tanning beds. There were two complaints of customer injury, which were referred to the FDA for follow up. There was also a parent's complaint that his 15 yr. old daughter was able to tan at a tanning facility without his permission. The rest were from tanning bed operators asking about the regulation of tanning facilities. The main concerns with respect to the tanning machines are: malfunctions of the timers, and replacement of the tanning lamps with improper lamps that do not match the machine's timer.

Cellular TelephonesCitizen concern regarding radio-frequency emissions and possible association with brain tumors. The British government recently issued guidance that recommends the restriction children's use of use cellular telephones. Soon afterwards there were two scientific reports that concluded there were no positive correlation between cell phone use and brain