[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4249-4250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1860]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 030-33507]


Research Medical Center Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact; Exemption

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is authorizing Research 
Medical Center, License No. 24-17998-02, an exemption to 10 CFR 
35.615(f)(3), to permit the licensee to have a neurosurgeon physically 
present in place of an authorized user during the use of its gamma 
stereotactic radiosurgery unit.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    Research Medical Center has a United States Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) license (License No. 24-17998-02) that authorizes the 
use of a gamma stereotactic radiosurgery (GSR) unit. The licensee has 
requested, in a letter dated September 20, 2002, that the NRC grant an 
exemption to 10 CFR 35.615(f)(3), which requires an authorized user and 
authorized medical

[[Page 4250]]

physicist to be physically present throughout all patient treatments 
with the GSR unit. This requirement became effective on October 24, 
2002.
    Research Medical Center has requested the exemption to allow a 
neurosurgeon to replace an authorized user if the following criteria is 
met: the neurosurgeon has received at least one full week of training 
at a formal training course for GSRs, including operation and emergency 
response; the neurosurgeon is working under the authorized user's 
supervision, and the neurosurgeon will be physically present in place 
of the authorized user once the treatment has been initiated. During 
patient treatment with the GSR unit, the authorized user will be 
immediately available and the substitution will not average more than 
50% of the time. The authorized medical physicist will be present 
throughout all patient treatments.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The exemption is needed so that Research Medical Center can 
continue to provide optimum medical treatment to its patients. The 
licensee indicates that without the exemption to 10 CFR 35.516(f)(3), 
GSR procedures would have to be periodically interrupted whenever it 
would be necessary to call the authorized user to attend to other 
responsibilities in the Radiation Oncology Department, which would not 
be conducive to timely completion of the procedure. The licensee states 
further that neurosurgeons are in large part responsible for the care 
of patients undergoing GSR, have completed the same course in GSR as 
the authorized users and are fully capable of handling any medical 
emergency, and are present during at least part of the treatment, and 
that the Radiation Oncology Department is separated from the GSR by a 
short enough distance such that an authorized user could respond 
quickly if necessary.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The GSR sources are sealed sources and no material will be released 
into the environment. All the sources are contained within the unit, as 
verified by periodic spot checks performed by the licensee. The 
proposed action does not increase public radiation exposure. There will 
be no impact on the environment as a result of the proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As required by section 102(2)(E) of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4322(2)(E)), 
possible alternatives to the final action have been considered. The 
alternatives are: (1) To deny the exemption request or (2) to require 
the licensee to provide another alternative method as a basis for 
granting the exemption. The alternative options would not produce a 
gain in protecting the human environment, and would negatively impact 
the licensee implementation of medical care to patients.

Alternative Use of Resources

    No alternative use of resources was considered due to the reasons 
stated above.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    This proposed action was discussed with the State of Missouri.

Identification of Source Used

    Letter from Research Medical Center, to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Region III, dated September 20, 2002.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based on the above environmental assessment, the Commission has 
concluded that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has 
determined that a finding of no significant impact is appropriate and 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted.
    The licensee's letter is available for inspection, and/or copying 
for a fee, in the Region III Public Document Room, 801 Warrensville 
Road, Lisle, IL 60532. The document is available electronically for 
public inspection from the Publically Available Records (PARS) 
component of NRC's Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), 
accession number ML030220477. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site 
at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.

    Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of January, 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Frederick Brown,
Section Chief, Material Safety and Inspection Branch, Division of 
Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-1860 Filed 1-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P