Rad techs call for changes to proposed radiation protection and licensing rules
The American Society of Radiologic Technologists has raised concern about two proposed rules that would revise federal radiation protection standards and reduce regulatory requirements for medical use of radioactive materials.
In comments submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ASRT said changes to the federal radiation protection framework could have implications for patient and worker safety in medical imaging and radiation therapy, particularly the proposed removal of the longstanding ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. The proposed Reforming and Modernizing the NRC's Radiation Protection Framework would remove ALARA requirements from federal regulations and replace them with a graded approach to dose management that relies more heavily on defined radiation thresholds and other dose management methods.
The agency said the changes are intended to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden and subjectivity while maintaining reasonable assurance of protection from radiation-related health effects. The proposal follows the NRC's reconsideration of the linear no-threshold model for radiation risk at very low doses and its longstanding use of ALARA, which is based on that model. The NRC said it believes some existing requirements can result in unnecessarily conservative approaches to very low-dose radiation exposure.
ASRT sees it differently. The organization is concerned that removing ALARA from federal regulations without a sufficiently vetted alternative could negatively affect medical imaging and radiation therapy. The group urged the NRC to distinguish between radiation protection considerations for the nuclear power industry and those for healthcare.
The second proposal, Reducing Barriers to Medical Use Licensing, would revise requirements governing the medical use of radioactive materials. The NRC said the rule is intended to modernize radiation safety practices, facilitate licensing of emerging technologies and reduce administrative and training burdens. Among other changes, the proposal would establish new licensing pathways, modify training and experience requirements for certain physicians, eliminate some license-amendment requirements, revise medical event reporting rules and expand eligibility for decay-in-storage disposal. The NRC estimates the changes would generate approximately $39 million in net savings over five years.
ASRT's comments on the medical-use licensing proposal focused largely on requirements for authorized users. The organization urged the NRC to retain physician requirements for authorized users and to maintain consistent radiation safety practices informed by medical imaging, radiation therapy and radiation protection experts.
ASRT is among numerous other groups, including the American College of Radiology, that has raised concerns with the proposed changes. For now, both changes remain proposed rules rather than final regulations. If finalized, the changes could affect radiation protection and medical use licensing requirements across the healthcare sector. ASRT said the proposed rules are anticipated to take effect in early 2027, if finalized.
Read more about ASRT’s comments here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.