New Zealand Legislation: Regulations

2 Interpretation

• (1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,—

  The Act means the Radiation Protection Act 1965

  Activity means the number of nuclear transformations per unit time, expressed in becquerels, occurring in a quantity of a radioactive substance

  Provided that, when the transformation of the nuclei of a radionuclide gives rise to one or more further radionuclides, the number of becquerels means those of the first (or parent) radionuclide only:

  Approved medical practitioner means a medical practitioner with special knowledge of the effects on the human body of ionising radiation, who has been approved by the Minister, on the advice of the Radiation Protection Advisory Council, for the purpose of conducting medical examinations required by these regulations

  Controlled area means any area so designated under regulation 21 of these regulations

  Dose equivalent, in relation to the human body or any specified organ of the human body, means the measure of the effect of ionising radiation on the body or that organ, as defined in Report 33 of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements

  Dose equivalent commitment, in relation to the human body or any specified organ of the body, means the dose equivalent estimated, in accordance with the data provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in the report of its committee II (ICRP Publication 30), to result from intake by the body of a quantity of radioactive substance, having regard to the physical and chemical state of such substance and the manner of intake

  Fissile material means plutonium -238, plutonium -239, plutonium -241, uranium -233, uranium -235, or any material containing any of the foregoing; but does not include unirradiated natural uranium or unirradiated depleted uranium

  Half-life means the time in which one half of the atoms of a given initial quantity of a radionuclide undergo nuclear transformation

  IAEA Transport Regulations means the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials, published in 1973 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna

  Licensee means a person holding a licence issued under the Act and for the time being in force

  Nuclear transformation means any change that occurs spontaneously in the nucleus of an atom and that results in the emission of ionising radiation

  Owner includes the administrator (within the meaning of the Administration Act 1969) of the estate of a deceased owner while any radioactive material or any irradiating apparatus forms part of that estate

  Quality of the radiation means the measure of the properties of the radiation whereby the following are determined

  • (a) The ability of the radiation to penetrate matter:

  • (b) The rate of absorption of the energy of the radiation in matter:

  • (c) The resulting biological effectiveness of the radiation:

  Radiation output means the intensity of radiation, measured at a point from which an absorbed dose of the radiation may be determined

  Reference dose equivalent means a dose equivalent, received in 1 year, of—

  • (a) 50 millisieverts (mSv) in any part of the body except the hands, forearms, feet, or lower legs; or

  • (b) 500 mSv to the hands, forearms, feet, or lower legs:

    Provided that the dose equivalent received by any other part of the body does not exceed the difference between 50 mSv and 0.06 of the dose equivalent received by the hands, forearms, feet, or lower legs.

  In determining the dose equivalent received in any given period, the dose equivalent commitment arising from contamination by any radioactive substance shall be added to the dose equivalent received from external irradiation

  Relative activity means the number found in relation to any given quantity of a radionuclide by dividing the activity of that quantity by the activity shown in the first column of the table in clause 2 of Schedule 1 to these regulations for the group to which the radionuclide belongs as set out in the second column of that table

  Relative concentration, in relation to any given concentration of a radionuclide, means the number found in relation to that concentration of the radionuclide by dividing the concentration of that radionuclide by the concentration shown in the first column of the table in clause 3 of Schedule 1 to these regulations for the group to which the radionuclide belongs as set out in the second column of that table

  Sealed radioactive material means any encapsulated radioactive material that is intended to be used to provide an external radiation field without any release of radioactive substances

  Teletherapy apparatus means an irradiating apparatus permanently mounted in a room and consisting of a sealed radioactive material shielded in all directions except for an aperture through which a beam of radiation may be allowed to emerge for use in radiotherapy

  X-ray tube means any evacuated vessel in which electrons are accelerated through a potential difference on to matter for the purpose of producing X-rays.

  (2) Subject to subclauses (3) and (4) of this regulation, every reference in these regulations to the IAEA Transport Regulations is a reference to those regulations, together with any amendments, in force at the date of the making of these regulations.

  (3) Where, after the making of these regulations, the IAEA Transport Regulations are amended, or any regulations are made in substitution for those regulations, the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, adopt that amendment or those substituted regulations for the purposes of these regulations, either wholly or in part and either with or without any modifications.

  (4) On the publication of any such notice in the Gazette, every reference in these regulations to the IAEA Transport Regulations shall be read subject to the terms of that notice.

  (5) Subclauses (2) to (4) of this regulation shall apply with any necessary modifications to any recommendation, report, or other publication of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements or the International Commission on Radiological Protection referred to in these regulations.