1Status of a Draft Standard for Personnel Screening Systems

Security screening systems utilizing ionizing radiation have been installed by several institutions in this country and their number is growing. The Food and Drug Administration, which is the federal agency with jurisdiction over the radiation safety of these devices, does not currently have mandatory standards. This is a new technology applied to an old concept. Intentional exposure of people for non-medical purposes has been considered unacceptable in the latter half of the past century. There is a wide spectrum of opinions among the taskholders and little guidance for regulators and the industry. To address these issues the N43 Committee has appointed a subcommittee to draft a consensus standard. The subcommittee, consisting of regulators, manufacturers and users, has reached consensus on some of the main requirements of the standard. This talk will outline the requirements agreed upon and examine the ongoing discussions and proposals. Proposed dose limits will be presented. The rationale behind the proposed standard will be discussed in detail