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NSTSCurrent State of Things
Cliff Harris, PhDNC Radioactive Materials Branch
Background• As a national registry, the NSTS will contain information on radioactive sources possessed by NRC and
Agreement State licensees and facilities established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Also, because the NSTS is designed as a transaction-based system, it will not provide real-time tracking. Rather, licensees will use this Web-based resource to report the manufacture, transfer, receipt, disassembly, and disposal of nationally tracked sources. Basic information to be collected will include the manufacturer, model number, serial number, radioactive material, activity, and manufacture date of each source, as well as information on the facilities involved in any transaction.
• Within the scope of the NSTS, the sources of interest are a subset of sealed sources, known as “nationally tracked sources.” A sealed source consists of radioactive material that is sealed in a capsule, or is closely bonded to a non-radioactive substrate designed to prevent leakage or escape of the radioactive material. In either case, a sealed source is effectively a solid form of radioactive material, which is subject to regulatory control.
• Nationally tracked sources represent the subset of sealed sources that contain quantities of radioactive material that are equal to or greater than the Category 2 Nationally Tracked Source Thresholds set forth in Appendix E to Title 10, Part 20, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 20), “Standards for Protection Against Radiation.” In other words, nationally tracked sources may be classified as either Category 1 or Category 2 sources, depending on the activity of the given radioactive material.
• Nationally tracked sources are possessed by all types of licensees (but primarily byproduct material licensees), and are used for a variety of purposes in the oil and gas, electrical power, construction, medical, and food industries. They are also used in a variety of military applications, as well as technology research and development. Category 1 sources are typically used in practices such as radiation therapy (brachytherapy), and in devices such as radio-thermal generators and irradiators. By contrast, Category 2 sources are typically used in blood irradiators, industrial gamma radiography, and some well-logging applications.
Final NRC RuleNSTS
• NRC Rule on the National Source Tracking System• In November 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the Final Rule incorporating
the National Source Tracking System (NSTS) into the agency’s regulations, and implementing provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 . As specified in that rule, the NRC’s NSTS regulations are set forth in Title 10, Section 20.2207, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 20.2207), “Reports of Transactions Involving Nationally Tracked Sources.” (Each Agreement State will implement equivalent requirements for its licensees.) Under those regulations, all licensees must take the following actions:
• Report the licensee’s initial inventories of Category 1 and Category 2 sources, as defined in Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 20, “Standards for Protection Against Radiation,” by January 31, 2009.
• Begin reporting all related transactions (manufacture, transfer, receipt, disassembly, or disposal of sources of interest) to the NSTS by January 31, 2009.
• Verify (on an annual basis) the records in the NSTS, and reconcile that information with the licensee’s actual inventory.
• Licensees have several options for reporting transaction information to the NSTS:– Secure Web-based access to the database – Submittal of files in computer-readable format – Submittal of the paper-based National Source Tracking Transaction Report (NRC Form 748) by mail or fax – Telephone reporting to the NSTS Help Desk.
Category 1 & 2 SourcesAppendix E to 10 CFR Part 20
Radioactive material Category 1
(TBq) Category 1
(Ci) Category 2
(TBq) Category 2
(Ci)
Actinium-227 20 540 0.2 5.4
Americium-241 60 1,600 0.6 16
Americium-241/Be 60 1,600 0.6 16
Californium-252 20 540 0.2 5.4
Cobalt-60 30 810 0.3 8.1
Curium-244 50 1,400 0.5 14
Cesium-137 100 2,700 1 27
Gadolinium-153 1,000 27,000 10 270
Iridium-192 80 2,200 0.8 22
Plutonium-238 60 1,600 0.6 16
Plutonium-239/Be 60 1,600 0.6 16
Polonium-210 60 1,600 0.6 16
Promethium-147 40,000 1,100,000 400 11,000
Radium-226 40 1,100 0.4 11
Selenium-75 200 5,400 2 54
Strontium-90 1,000 27,000 10 270
Thorium-228 20 540 0.2 5.4
Thorium-229 20 540 0.2 5.4
Thulium-170 20,000 540,000 200 5,400
Ytterbium-169 300 8,100 3 81
CAT 1 & 2 LicenseesNorth Carolina
License Type Number
Panoramic Irradiator 4
Industrial Radiography 15
Gammaknife 2
Irradiator (blood or research) 15
Fixed Industrial Gauges 5
Update - NC
• Progress, not perfection• In May only 37% of NC licensees had
inventories in NSTS• Today 85% have reported inventories• Many inaccuracies in inventories• Errors being corrected individually
Update - Credentialing
• Problems continue, but improvement• Problems being resolved one-on-one by NSTS
Help Desk and/or NRC• NRC encourages everyone to establish on-line
access to NSTS!
Update - Accuracy
• Poor– Reporting devices, not sources– Duplication of sources– Multiple sources being reported as one– Sources below CAT 2 being reported
• Data Integrity Team (NRC)– 10 member team– 4 weeks old– May contact in next 30 days
Update - Reconciliation
• Required by 10 CFR 20.2207• January 2010• Fundamental procedure• Possible “mock reconciliation” exercise• I have all inventories with me today
Update – NRC Website
• http://www.nrc.gov/security/byproduct/nsts.html
• New look• Blog and subscription
