Radiation Protection Regulations in the USA - A Needed Update

The practice of radiation protection (RP) in the U.S.A. has evolved from recommendations for protection from X rays and radium in the early to mid- 20th century, to a codified system of regulations since the early 1950s. These regulations have traditionally followed international and national recommendations. Initially the Federal Radiation Council (FRC) provided recommendations to the federal agencies in the 1960s, which would in turn be used to develop new RP standards, and quickly be codified. Similarly, the federal RP regulations would be adopted by state Radiation Control Program authorities. For decades the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was the lead agency for weapons, reactor, and developing medical and industrial applications of radioactive materials (RAM). The AEC developed the first national RP regulations for the protection of man in the early mid-1950s. However, these regulations were focused on the use and control of radioactive materials. During the 1950s and 1960s states utilized these RP regulations for materials, and also developed regulations related to medical and non-medical X-ray equipment. In the late 1960s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gained statutory authority over the manufacture of X ray and other radiation generating machines.