ALARA (acronym for "as low as reasonably achievable") means the philosophy of making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to radiation as far below the dose limits as is practicable.
ALARA Program means the procedures and controls used by USDA to achieve occupational doses and doses to members of the public that are as low as reasonably achievable.
Annual Limit on Intake (ALI) means the limit on the amount of radioactive material that can be taken into the body either by inhalation or ingestion in one year. Generally, if an individual has an intake of one ALI for any radioisotope, the internal dose will be 5 rems, the annual limit on dose.
Associate User means an individual who is working with radiation sources under the terms and conditions of a Radiation Source Permit, under the general supervision of the Permit Holder.
Becquerel (Bq) is the SI unit of activity. One becquerel = 1 nuclear disintegration / second.
Byproduct Material means elements that have become radioactive as a result of interactions in a nuclear reactor. Byproduct material is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Calibration Source means a contained source that is exempt from NRC licensing consideration due to its low activity. These sources are typically used to calibrate laboratory gamma or liquid scintillation counters. Calibration sources are inventoried by the USDA Radiation Safety Staff.
Check Source means a contained source that is exempt from NRC licensing consideration due to its low activity. Check sources are typically used to monitor portable survey instrument performance. Check sources should be inventoried by the Permit Holder.
Contained Source means a source containing radioactive materials where the materials are enclosed or contained to prevent dispersion. Examples of contained sources are plastic plates or discs impregnated with radioisotopes, electron capture detector foils, and sealed sources.
Controlled Area means an area, outside of a restricted area, but inside the location boundary, access to which can be limited by the Permit Holder or location management for any reason. These areas are controlled for reasons of security.
Curie (Ci) is the conventional unit of activity. One curie = 3.7 x 1010 nuclear disintegrations / second.
Declared Pregnant Worker means a woman who has voluntarily informed her employer, in writing, of her pregnancy and the estimated date of conception.
Departmental Regulation (DR) means the document approved by the Assistant Secretary for Administration that sets the overall U.S. Department of Agriculture policy for radiation safety. DR 4400-5 is the current regulation describing the Radiation Safety Program.
Dose Equivalent means the product of the absorbed dose in tissue, times the quality factor of the radiation, times any other necessary modifying factor such as dose rate. The dose equivalent is a measure of the potential for biological effect. The units of dose equivalent are sieverts and rems.
Effective Dose Equivalent is the whole-body dose equivalent resulting from an intake of radioactive materials.
Extremity means hand, elbow, arm below the elbow, foot, knee, or leg below the knee.
External Dose means the dose equivalent received from radiation sources outside the body.
Eye Dose Equivalent means the dose equivalent resulting from external exposure to the lens of the eye.
Gray (Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed dose. One gray is equal to an absorbed dose of 1 Joule / kilogram or 100 rads.
Ionizing Radiation means electromagnetic or particulate radiation that contains sufficient energy to interact with and remove the electrons from an atom, leaving the atom with a net positive charge.
Information Notice means a document published by RSS that provides general radiation safety program information to Permit Holders and other interested individuals.
Joule is the SI unit of energy. It requires just over 4 joules of energy to raise the temperature of 1 ml of water 1 degree C.
License means the document issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to possess and use radioactive materials at USDA facilities throughout the United States.
Location means a building, facility, research center, area, region, or state that has been designated as a single entity for purposes of radiation protection.
Location Management means the official having administrative authority over a location.
Location Radiation Protection Officer (LRPO) means an individual that has been designated to provide advice and assistance regarding the USDA Radiation Safety Program at a location.
Member of the Public means an individual who does not work with radiation or radiation sources and whose dose must be controlled to below 100 mrem in a year. Members of the public do not require training in radiation hazards, but may require training in awareness to avoid a hazard.
Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) means the smallest amount of activity that can be quantified for comparison with regulatory limits.
Minor means an individual less than 18 years of age.
Naturally Occurring and Accelerator Produced Radioactive Materials (NARM) means radioactive materials present in the earth's crust and elements that have been made radioactive through interactions in a cyclotron or linear accelerator. These radioisotopes are not regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but are regulated by State radiation control authorities and by the USDA.
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) means radioactive materials present in the earth's crust. This includes potassium-40 (K-40), Uranium, Thorium, and Radon.
Occupational Dose means the dose received by an individual in the course of employment in which the individual's assigned duties involve exposure to radiation.
Permit (Radiation Source Permit) means the document issued by the Radiation Safety Staff authorizing a USDA employee to possess and use radioactive materials or x-ray producing equipment at USDA locations.
Permit Condition means a document issued in conjunction with a Radiation Source Permit that describes specific actions and requirements that the Permit Holder must follow to remain in compliance with Federal and State regulations regarding radiation safety.
Permit Holder means the individual authorized to possess and use radioactive materials or x-ray producing equipment at USDA locations, and who is responsible for its safe and proper use.
Rad is the conventional unit of absorbed dose. One rad equals an absorbed dose of 0.01 Joule / kilogram or 0.01 gray.
Radiation Safety Committee (RSC) means the committee established to comply with the requirements of the USDA's broad scope research and development license and to develop radiation safety policy for the Department.
Radiation Safety Committee Handbook means the notebook containing the standard operating procedures for the RSC.
Radiation Safety Handbook means the publication that contains information on Departmental and Agency radiation safety programs, describes how individuals can become authorized to use radiation sources, and describes general radiation safety requirements.
Radiation Safety Program means the safety and health program adopted by the USDA through Departmental Regulation 4400-5.
Radiation Safety Staff (RSS) means the organization established to administrate the day-to-day operations of the radiation safety program.
Radiation Safety Staff Handbook means the notebook containing the standard operating procedures for the RSS.
Radiation Source means a source of ionizing radiation, either from radioactive materials or electronic equipment.
Radiation Source Permit (Permit) means the authorizing document issued by the RSS to allow a USDA employee to possess and use radioactive materials or x-ray producing equipment.
Radiation Worker means an individual who, in the course of employment, is assigned duties in a restricted area involving exposure to radiation or radioactive materials.
Radioactive Decay means a process of spontaneous nuclear transformation in the nucleus of an atom to reach a more stable energy level. Ionizing radiation in the form of gamma-rays and x-rays, and particulate radiation in the form of beta and alpha particles, are often emitted from the atom as part of the decay process.
Radioactive Material means an element, or chemical compound containing an element, that undergoes radioactive decay and emits ionizing radiation in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, x-rays, or gamma rays. Radioactive materials can be byproduct materials, naturally occurring materials, or accelerator produced materials.
Radioisotope means any radioactive material.
Rem is the conventional unit of dose equivalent. One rem equals a dose equivalent of 0.01 Joule / kilogram or 0.01 sieverts.
Responsible User means a Permit Holder
Restricted Area means an area, access to which is limited by the Permit Holder or by location management for the purpose of protecting individuals from undue risks from exposure to radiation and radioactive materials.
Safety and Health Manual means the manual containing the Departmental policy regarding all aspects of occupational safety and health programs, including radiation safety.
Sealed Source means a contained source that has been constructed and tested to pass specific accident conditions without the release of radioactive material.
SI means the International System of Measurements.
Sievert (Sv) is the SI unit of the quantity expressed as dose equivalent. One sievert equals a dose equivalent of 1 Joule / kilogram or 100 rems.
Source Material means Uranium or Thorium in any physical or chemical form, that contains by weight, 0.05% or more of Uranium or Thorium.
Standard Operating Procedures means the technical documents that describe administrative operations or functions of the RSC and the RSS.
Technical Bulletin means a document published by the RSS to provide detailed guidance to USDA employees regarding specific radiation safety program topics.
Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) means the sum of the external radiation dose and the internal dose.
Unsealed Radioactive Materials means radioactive materials that are in a liquid, power or granular form, and can be easily dispersed through routine laboratory procedures.
Unrestricted Area means an area, access to which is neither limited or controlled by the Permit Holder or by location management.
X-ray Producing Equipment means laboratory equipment such as medical/veterinary/cabinet/baggage x-ray machines, electron microscopes, or x-ray diffraction units, that can emit ionizing radiation when the machine is being operated.