[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 121 (Friday, June 21, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 31874-31875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-15837]



 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 121 / Friday, June 21, 1996 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 31874]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 20

[Docket No. PRM-20-24]


Petition for Rulemaking; University of Cincinnati

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of petition for rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is docketing, as a 
petition for rulemaking, a document dated April 7, 1996, and filed with 
the Commission by the University of Cincinnati. The petition was 
assigned Docket No. PRM-20-24 on April 15, 1996. The petitioner 
requests that the Commission amend its regulations to authorize 
specified visitors of radiation patients, as members of the public, to 
receive up to 500 mrem per year. In this document, the NRC is 
announcing the receipt of the petition and requesting public comment on 
the suggested amendment.

DATES: Submit comments by September 4, 1996.
    Comments received after this date will be considered if it is 
practical to do so. However, assurance of consideration cannot be given 
except as to comments received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Attention: Docketing and Service Branch, Office of the Secretary, 
Washington, DC 20555-001. For a copy of the petition, write to the 
Rules Review Section, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of 
Freedom of Information and Publications Services, Office of 
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555.
    Deliver comments to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 
between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays.
    For information on submitting comments electronically, see 
``Electronic Access'' under the Supplementary Information section of 
this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rules Review 
Section, at the same address as above or by telephone, 301-415-7163, or 
toll free, 1-800-368-5642, or E-mail, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In Sec. 20.1301(a)(1), each licensee is required to conduct 
operations so that the total effective radiation dose limit for members 
of the public does not exceed 0.1 rem (1 millisievert) in a year. The 
dose equivalent must be exclusive of the dose contributions from 
background radiation, any medical administration the individual has 
received, voluntary participation in medical research programs, and the 
licensee's disposal of radioactive material into sanitary sewerage in 
accordance with Sec. 20.2003. The current regulations state in 
Sec. 20.1301(c) that a licensee or license applicant may apply for 
prior NRC authorization to operate up to an annual dose limit for an 
individual member of the public of 0.5 rem (5 mSv).

Petitioner's Request

    The petitioner states that, as recommended in a report from the 
National Committee on Radiation Protection (NCRP 91), the proposed 
amendment would permit a small population of the general public to be 
infrequently exposed to an annual exposure limit of 500 mrem total 
effective dose equivalent. The petitioner presents the following 
specific recommendations concerning the requested amendment:

    1. The individuals to whom the 500 mrem annual limit applies 
would be specified visitors of radiation therapy patients 
hospitalized under 10 CFR 35.75 or specified visitors of radiation 
therapy patients receiving temporary brachytherapy implants under 10 
CFR 35.400.
    2. The dose limit is not requested for all visitors of all 
radiation therapy patients hospitalized under 10 CFR 35.75 or 
receiving a temporary implant under 10 CFR 35.400. The dose limit 
would apply only to specified visitors determined by the physician 
to be necessary for the emotional and/or physical support of the 
patient (e.g., parents of children, elderly patients who need 
support from a familiar individual, etc.).
    3. The specified visitors would be limited to adult (18 or 
older) non-pregnant individuals who are members of the family or are 
individuals with a significant personal relationship to the patient.
    4. The specified visitors would be instructed by the licensee or 
authorized user to maintain their exposure as low as reasonable 
achievable (ALARA). The instruction would emphasize the radiation 
safety precautions of time, distance and shielding.
    5. The dose limit would apply only to dose received while the 
patient is hospitalized under 10 CFR 35.75 and/or receiving a 
temporary brachytherapy implant under 10 CFR 35.400. A personnel 
monitor (pocket dosimeter, film badge, TLD or electronic dosimeter) 
would document compliance.

The Petitioner's Proposed Amendment

    The petitioner proposes that Sec. 20.1301 be amended to permit 
specified visitors of radiation patients to be exposed to an exposure 
limit of 500 mrem total effective dose per year.

Electronic Access

    Comments may be submitted electronically, in either ASCII text or 
WordPerfect format (version 5.1 or later), by calling the NRC 
Electronic Bulletin Board (BBS) on FedWorld. The bulletin board may be 
accessed using a personal computer, a modem, and one of the commonly 
available communications software packages, or directly via Internet. 
Background documents on this petition also are available for 
downloading and viewing on the bulletin board.
    If using a personal computer and modem, the NRC rulemaking 
subsystem on FedWorld can be accessed directly by dialing the toll-free 
number 800 303-9672. Set communication software parameters as follows: 
parity to none, data bits to 8, and stop bits to 1 (N,8,1). Using the 
ANSI or VT-100 terminal emulation, the NRC rulemaking subsystem can 
then be accessed by selecting the ``rules menu'' option from the ``NRC 
main menu.'' Users will find the ``FedWorld On-line User's Guides'' 
particularly helpful. Many NRC subsystems and data bases also have a 
``Help/Information Center'' option that is tailored to the particular 
subsystem.
    The NRC subsystem on FedWorld also can be accessed by a direct-dial 
telephone number for the main FedWorld BBS, (703)321-3339, or by using 
Telnet via Internet: fedworld.gov. If using (703)321-3339 to contact 
FedWorld, the NRC subsystem will be

[[Page 31875]]

accessed from the FedWorld main menu by selecting the ``Regulatory, 
Government Administration and State Systems,'' then selecting 
``Regulatory Information Mall.'' At that point, a menu will be 
displayed that has an option ``U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission'' 
that will take you to the NRC on-line main menu. The NRC on-line area 
also can be accessed directly by typing ``/go nrc'' at a FedWorld 
command line. If NRC is accessed from FedWorld's main menu, the user 
may return to FedWorld by selecting the ``Return to FedWorld'' option 
from the NRC on-line main menu. However, if NRC at FedWorld is accessed 
by using NRC's toll-free number, the user will have full access to all 
NRC systems but not to the main FedWorld system.
    If FedWorld is contacted using Telnet, the user will see the NRC 
area and menus, including the rules menu. Although the user will be 
able to download documents and leave messages, he or she will not be 
able to write comments or upload files (comments). If FedWorld is 
contacted using File Transfer Program (FTP), all files can be accessed 
and downloaded but uploading files is not allowed--the user will see 
only a list of files without descriptions (normal gopher look). An 
index file is available that lists all files within a subdirectory, 
with descriptions of those files. There is a 15-minute time limit for 
FTP access.
    Although FedWorld also can be accessed through the Worldwide Web, 
like FTP, that mode only provides access for downloading files and does 
not display the NRC rules menu.
    For more information on NRC bulletin boards call Mr. Arthur Davis, 
Systems Integration and Development Branch, NRC, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, telephone (301)415-5780; E-mail AXD[email protected].
    Single copies of this petition may be obtained by written request 
or telefax ((301)415-5144) from the Rules Review Section, Rules Review 
and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and 
Publications Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop T6-D59, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Certain 
documents related to this petition, including comments received, may be 
examined at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW. (Lower 
Level), Washington, DC. These same documents also may be viewed and 
downloaded electronically via the Electronic Bulletin Board established 
by NRC for this petition as indicated above.

    Dated at Rockville, MD., the 17th day of June, 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John C. Hoyle,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-15837 Filed 6-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P