Administration Controls

Guidance and Regulatory Agencies - Several scientific groups have provided information and recommendations concerning accelerator radiation safety. These groups include the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) and the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as several publications by leading accelerator health physicists. These groups provide only recommendations, without the force of law, and do not enforce or establish radiation safety policy. The agencies responsible for developing and enforcing radiation policy are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the State of California, Department of Health Services (DOHS). These agencies often adopt the recommendations from the NCRP or other groups recognized as authorities in accelerator radiation protection. In the establishment of the LLUMC Proton Treatment Facility, many of these recommendations became enforceable requirements.

Registration of the Proton Treatment Facility - The LLUMC Proton Treatment Facility is registered with the State of California, Department of Health Services as a radiation-producing machine for the purposes of providing radiation treatment to humans and research under the provisions of the California Radiation Control Regulations (CCR, Title 17). In the agreement with the State of California, an oversight committee was established to provide expert advice during the development and construction of the facility. This committee, the Proton Safety Committee, was given the authority to approve design considerations and safety systems and policy where the specific regulations did not apply.

The Radiation Safety Committee - This Committee is responsible for all uses of radiation and radioactive materials in LLU/LLUMC. All human research applications are approved by the RSC. The RSC is composed of faculty members and physicians from a variety of backgrounds, all with expertise in radiation and radioactive materials.

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