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	This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login, subscribe, or try out HSC for 30 days. The NRC loosens its grip on training and radiation safety committees PRINT THIS PAGE \| RETURN TO ARTICLE July 21, 2002 The NRC loosens its grip on training and radiation safety committees Maybe you didn't jump at the thought of reading the latest regulations on the medical use of radioactive materials. Nonetheless, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) revisions to its rules warrant some discussion about what new areas to watch for, including training changes and the oversight of radiation safety. Under NRC regulations, health care facilities need a license to use certain radioactive materials, termed "byproduct materials," for therapy or diagnosis. The application for an NRC license generally requires detailed information on what radioactive materials the facility uses and who administers them. Facilities must also meet a variety of other requirements, including designation of a radiation safety officer and radiation safety committee, and creation of a formal program to ensure that human exposure to and release of radioactive materials is "as low as is reasonably achievable"-also known as the ALARA philosophy. Risk as a focal point The rigidity of your radiation management efforts depends on what services a patient receives. That emphasis inspired some the NRC's revisions, which it released on April 24 and will start enforcing on October 24. This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login, subscribe, or try out HSC for 30 days.