Re: Internal Licensing

[John Harvey <harveyj@mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA>]

Sue: Our system of issuing permits (the Atomic Energy Control Board, AECB,
our regulatory agency, claims that only they can issue "licenses") is very
similar to yours.
 However, in Canada, laboratories are classified as Basic, Intermediate,
or High Level. Each isotope has associated with it a "Scheduled
Quantity"(SQ) which I believe is the old IAEA license exempt quantity. For
example, it is 1 uCi for I-125 and I-131. The number of SQs in use
determine the laboratory category. There are modifying factors that take
into account work in fume hoods or glove boxes. A Basic laboratory is
permitted 1-100 SQs on the open bench and 1-1000 SQs in a fume hood. An
Intermediate Level lab is required for quantities in excess of 100 SQs or
1000 SQs in a fume hood. The rules now change, but the essential
difference is that monitoring is required daily for contamination and any
equipment leaving the lab has to be monitored.  However, these are the
University rules for all classifications. 
 Labs that use more than 1,000 SQ on the bench or 10,000 SQs in a fume 
hood are High Level Laboratories and must be approved by the AECB.

=======================================================================
John Harvey                            | McMaster University
Senior Health Physicist                | NRB-110
(905) 525-9140 ext 24226               | 1280 Main St. W.
harveyj@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca         | Hamilton, Ont Canada L8S 4K1