Radioactive Materials Guidance Documents

This page offers free United States federal guidance documents and publications about radioactive materials.  

Federal guidance is a set of guidelines developed by EPA, for use by Federal and State agencies responsible for protecting the public from the harmful effects of radiation. Federal guidance helps protect both the general public and the people who work with and around radiation every day. There are two kinds of Federal guidance publications:

	Guidance Documents that provide principles and policies for radiation protection.
	Technical Reports that provide current scientific and technical information for radiation dose and risk assessment.

Who develops Federal guidance?

	The authority to develop Federal guidance was given to the Federal Radiation Council (FRC) by Executive Order in 1959.
	Over the next decade the FRC developed Federal guidance ranging from guidance for exposure of the general public to estimates of fallout from nuclear weapons testing.
	Federal guidance developed by the FRC provided the basis for most regulation of radiation exposure by Federal and State agencies, prior to the establishment of the EPA.
	In 1970, the responsibility for developing Federal guidance for radiation protection was transferred from the FRC to the newly formed EPA under Executive Order 10831 and Reorganization Plan No. 3.  [back to top]

Who uses Federal guidance?

Federal guidance is developed for use by Federal and State agencies in the development of radiation rules and regulations that affect public health.

How does EPA develop Federal guidance?

To develop these documents and reports EPA:

	Consults and/or coordinates with other Federal and State agencies and national and international experts.
	Evaluates information provided by radiation protection organizations such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection, and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
	Conducts independent studies of issues, often in consultation with a nationally recognized scientific organizations, such as the National Academy of Sciences.  [back to top]

What is the difference between the guidance documents and the technical reports?

	Federal Guidance Documents are signed by the President and issued by EPA. By signing these, the President provides a framework for Federal and State agencies to develop regulations that ensure the public is protected from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Federal Guidance is also an opportunity for the President to promote national consistency in radiation protection regulations.
	Federal Guidance Technical Reports are issued by EPA. The technical reports ensure that agencies and the public are up-to-date on scientific and technical advances in radiation protection.  [back to top]

Must Federal and State agencies follow the Federal guidance?

Since these are guidance documents not regulations, they are not legally enforceable. Federal and State agencies have the authority to determine the details of their own regulations. You should treat the Federal guidance recommendations and technical reports as basic guidelines.

Radioactive Materials Guidance Documents and Publications

	Radiation Protection Guidance to Federal Agencies for Occupational Exposure, Environmental Protection Agency 52 FR 2822 January 27, 1987. This guidance provides general principles, and specifies the numerical primary guides for limiting worker exposure. It applies to all workers who are exposed to radiation in the course of their work, either as employees of institutions and companies subject to Federal regulation or as Federal employees.
	Radiation Protection Guidance to Federal Agencies for Diagnostic X-rays, Environmental Protection Agency 43 FR 4377 February 1, 1978. This guidance provides recommendations to reduce radiation exposure from the use of diagnostic x-rays. These recommendations, transmitted to the President jointly by EPA and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), were based on two guiding principles: avoidance of unnecessary prescription of x-rays, and use of good technique to minimize radiation exposure.
	Underground Mining of Uranium Ore, Federal Radiation Council 34 FR 576 January 15, 1969 35 FR 245 December 18, 1970 This guidance sets forth recommendations for radiation protection activities as they apply to the underground mining of uranium ore. EPA subsequently reviewed these recommendations and concluded that no modification was necessary.
	Radiation Protection Guidance for Federal Agencies, Federal Radiation Council 25 FR 9057 September 26, 1961 This guidance presents recommendations for population groups exposed to environmental sources of radiation. It provides Radiation Protection Guides; guidance on general principles of control applicable to all environmental radionuclides; and specific guidance in connection with exposure of population groups to radium-226, iodine-131, strontium-90, and strontium-89.
	Radiation Protection Guidance for Federal Agencies, Federal Radiation Council 25 FR 4402 May 18, 1960 This guidance provides a general framework for radiation protection and general principles of radiation control based on the annual intake of radioactive materials. These recommendations provide the basis for the control and regulation of radiation exposure during normal peacetime operations. Numerical values for the Radiation Protection Guides, designed to limit the exposure of the whole body and certain organs, are provided. Federal Guidance Technical Reports (Note: The most current report is listed first) Federal Guidance Report No. 13 (Final) Cancer Risk Coefficients for Environmental Exposure to Radionuclides, EPA 402-R-99-001 This report provides methods and data for estimating risks due to both internal and external radionuclide exposures. It includes coefficients for assessing cancer risks from environmental exposure to about 800 radionuclides. Both mortality and incidence risk coefficients are tabulated for inhalation, food and water ingestion, submersion in air and exposure to uniform soil concentrations. The age-averaged coefficients consider age-specific intake rates, dose modeling, and risk modeling. The information presented in this report is for use in assessing risks from radionuclide exposure in a variety of applications ranging from environmental impact analyses of specific sites to the general analyses that support rulemaking. [back to top] Federal Guidance Report No. 13: Response to Comments on the Interim Version Response to Comments Received Regarding Federal Guidance Report No.13 - Part 1, Interim Version:  Health Risks From Low-Level Environmental Exposure to Radionuclides, EPA 402-R-97-014 January 1998, This document contains the consolidated comments received from the public on the interim version of Federal Guidance Report No. 13 during the Public Comment Period, April 13, 1998 through June 30, 1998.  It also contains EPA's response to those comments.   These comments were considered in finalizing Federal Guidance Report No. 13.   [back to top] Federal Guidance Report No. 13 (Interim) Health Risks from Low-Level Environmental Exposure to Radionuclides, Interim Version - Part I Environmental Protection Agency 401-R-97-014 January 1998. This document has been superseded by the Final Report No. 13, above.[back to top] Report No.12 External Exposure to Radionuclides in Air, Water, and Soil, Environmental Protection Agency 402-R-93-81 September 1993. This report provides tables of exposure-to-dose conversion factors for external exposure to photons and electrons emitted by radionuclides in air, water, and soil. It is intended to be a companion to Federal Guidance Report No. 11. The dose coefficients for exposure to external radiation are intended for the use of Federal agencies in calculating the dose equivalent to organs and tissues of the body. Dose coefficients for air submersion in Report No.12 update those given in Report No. 11.  [back to top] Report No.11 Limiting Values of Radionuclide Intake and Air Concentration and Dose Conversion Factors for Inhalation, Submersion, and Ingestion, Environmental Protection Agency 520/1-88-020 September 1988. This report provides derived guides (limiting values) of radionuclide intake and air concentration for control of occupational exposure that are consistent with 1987 Federal Guidance Document, Radiation Protection Guidance to Federal Agencies for Occupational Exposure. The derived guides serve as the basis for regulations setting upper bounds on the inhalation and ingestion of, and submersion in, radioactive materials in the workplace. The report also includes tables of exposure-to-dose conversion factors for general use in assessing average individual committed doses in any population that is adequately characterized by Reference Man (ICRP 1975). This report supercedes Federal Guidance Report No. 10.  [back to top]   Some of our documents are in pdf format. In order to download them, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can down load it here.