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.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE / National Bureau of Standards

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itetional Bureau .cl Standards
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, Wo I General Safety Standard CJU. Vi
A£>. U*+" for Installations Using Non-Medical
\<\15
X-Ray and Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources, i
Energies up to 10 MeV

American National Standards

Subcommittee N43-5

^h s> . n4
Under the sponsorship of the
t/hS, National Bureau of Standards
Washington, D.C. 20234

Approved May 24, 1974

American National Standards Institute
New York, N.Y. 10018
ANSI N543-1974

(Revision of Z54.1-1963, published

as NBS Handbook 93)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, Director

Issued February 1975

 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

American National Standards Institute. Subcommittee N43-5.

General Safety Standards for Installations Using Non-Medical
X-ray and Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources. Energies Up to 10 MeV.
(National Bureau of Standards Handbook: 114)
Prepared in 1964 by the body under its earlier name. American
Standard Association, under title: Safety Standard for Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma-Rav Sources.
"ANSI N543-1974.”
"Revision of Z54.1-1963. published as NBS Handbook 93.”
Bibliography: p.
Supt. of Docs. No.: C 13.11:114
1. X-rays—Safety measures. 2. Gamma rays—Safety measures.
I. American Standards Association. Safety standard for non¬
medical X-ray and sealed gamma-ray sources. II. Title. HI. Series:
United States. National Bureau of Standards. Handbook: 114.
Q( 100.U565 no. 114 [TK9152I 389\08s f 614.8’39] 74-20537

National Bureau of Standards Handbook 114

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Handb. 114, 69 pages (Feb. 1975)

CODEN: NBSHAP

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1975

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402
(Order by SD Catalog No. C13.11:114). Price 90 cents.
 American National Standard

An American National Standard implies a consensus of those

substantially concerned with its scope and provisions. An
American National Standard is intended as a guide to aid the
manufacturer, the consumer, and the general public. The
existence of an American National Standard does not in any
respect preclude anyone, whether he has approved the standard
or not, from manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, or using
products, processes, or procedures not conforming to the
standard. American National Standards are subject to periodic
review and users are cautioned to obtain the latest editions.
Producers of goods made in conformity with an American
National Standard are encouraged to state in their own adver¬
tising, promotion material, or on tags or labels, that the goods
are produced in conformity with particular American National
Standards.

CAUTION NOTICE. This American National Standard may

be revised or withdrawn at any time. The procedures of the
American National Standards Institute require that action be
taken to reaffirm, revise, or withdraw this standard no later
than five (5) years from the date of publication. Purchasers of
American National Standards may receive current information
on all standards by calling or writing the American National
Standards Institute, 1430 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10018.
 Foreword

X-ray and gamma ray sources are widely used for industrial
inspection. Their utility, however, must be matched by the
safety with which they are used. This Handbook of recom¬
mended safety standards, developed by American National
Standards Committee N43, has been approved by ANSI as an
American National Standard.
NBS has long cooperated with private organizations and with
other government agencies in the establishment of voluntary
standard practices. One area where NBS participation has been
especially active is that concerned with the effective and safe
use of ionizing radiation. As the Secretariat of Standards
Committee N43, and earlier of ASA Sectional Committee Z54
which produced a standard on the same subject, the Bureau is
pleased to publish and distribute this revised American
National Standard.

Director

IV
 Preface

(This Preface is not a part of American National Standard

Jffi42L,jGeneral Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma Ray Sources, Energies up to
10 MeV.)

X-ray and sealed gamma-ray sources are used extensively in

industry for the inspection, testing, and analysis of a wide
variety of objects and materials. It is therefore essential that
adequate measures be taken to protect persons who work with
or are near such radiation sources, as well as the general public,
against excessive exposure to radiation.

In 1946 the sectional committee of ASA issued American War

Standard Z54.1-1946 “Safety Code for the Industrial Use of
X-rays.” Handbook 93 (Z54.1-1963), “Safety Standard for
Non-Medical X-ray and Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources,” issued in
1964 was a revision of a part of the war standard. These stand¬
ards provided the necessary guidance for the safe installation
and use of penetrating radiation equipment used in industry.

The American National Standards Committee N43 examined

Z54.1 — 1963 and determined that a revision was necessary.
This task was assigned to Subcommittee N43-5.

Suggestions for improvement gained in the use of this stand¬

ard will be welcome. They should be sent to the American
National Standards Institute, 1430 Broadway, New York, N.Y.
10018.

The American National Standards Committee N43, on

Equipment for Non-Medical Radiation Application, had the
following personnel at the time it processed and approved this
standard:

v
Elmer H. Eisenhower
Chairman

Organization Represented Name of Representative

Aerospace Industries Association _ Leon Maggio
Air Transport Association _Warren J. Weldon
American Chemical Society _ Edward E. Beauchamp
American Conference of Governmental Indus- Robert H. Duguid
trial Hygienists.
American Crystallographic Association_Stanley Block
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Jack R. Suarez
Industrial Organizations.
American Industrial Hygiene Association _Walter H. Konn
American Insurance Association_Victor O. Bohn
American Iron and Steel Institute_Anthony LaMastra
Wayne T. Brooks (Alt.)
American Mutual Insurance Alliance _ Leon D. Horowitz
Thomas F. Bresnahan (Alt.)
American Nuclear Society_ E. Alfred Burrill
W. E. Kreger (Alt.)
American Public Health Association, Inc_Francis J. Bradley
Jesse Lieberman (Alt.)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers __ Herbert R. Isenburger
American Society for Nondestructive Testing, John P. Battema
Inc. Warren M. Holm (Alt.)
American Society for Testing and Materials_Marvin M. Turkanis
Jack Bystrom (Alt.)
American Welding Society_ Edward L. Criscuolo
Association of State and Territorial Health Franklin M. Foote
Officers.
Health Physics Society_ John H. Weiler
Robert M. Ryan (Alt.)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engi¬ Thomas R. Kohler
neers, Inc.
Instrument Society of America_ H. L. Cook, Jr.
International Association of Machinists and J. George Eichhorn
Aerospace Workers.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Paul R. Shoop
Workers.
National Bureau of Standards_ Elmer H. Eisenhower
National Council on Radiation Protection and Carl B. Braestrup
Measurements. E. Dale Trout (Alt.)
National Electrical Manufacturers Associa¬ George R. Mahn
tion. W. A. Samsonoff (Alt.)
National Safety Council _ Gerald J. Sinke
Julian Olishifski (Alt.)
Radiation Research Society _ Carl B. Braestrup
Underwriters’ Laboratories, Inc._ L. S. Homa
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission_ Robert Barker
Edward Vallario (Alt.)
U.S. Department of the Air Force, Office of Lt. Col. William D. Howell
the Surgeon General. Lt. Col. Owen H. Kittilstad
U.S. Department of the Air Force, Directorate Capt. William K. McRaney
of Nuclear Safety.
U.S. Department of the Army, Environmental Robert H. Duguid
Hygiene Agency.
U.S. Department of the Army, Office of the LTC Robert M. Gastineau
Surgeon General. LTC James E. Anderson
(Alt.)
U.S. Department of Defense_ Satrak Der Boghosian
Charles P. Merhib (Alt.)

VI
U.S. Department of Health, Education and Walter Gundaker
Welfare —Public Health Service. David R. Snavely (Alt.)
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor John P. O’Neill
Standards. G. Walker Daubenspeck
(Alt.)
U.S. Department of the Navy, Ship Engineer¬ Edward Duffy
ing Center.
U.S. Department of the Navy, Bureau of Cpt. James H. Dowling
Medicine and Surgery.
Individual Member_ E. R. Ferraro

Members of Subcommittee N43-5, which had responsibility for developing

this standard, are listed below.

E. L. Criscuolo, Chairman Naval Ordnance Laboratory

John P. Battema_ Philips Electronic Instruments
James H. Bly_ Applied Radiation Corporation
Carl B. Braestrup _ Lenox Hill Hospital
H. L. Cook, Jr. _ Ohmart Corporation
Howard Heffan_ Naval Weapons Laboratory
Donovan Smith_ U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission
Major John C. Taschner _ USAF Radiological Health
Laboratory

Vll
 Contents
Page
Preface___ v
1. Scope _ 1
2. Definitions_ 1
3. Classification of installations _ 5
3.1 Protective installation_ 5
3.2 Enclosed installation _ 6
3.3 Unattended installation_ 8
3.4 Open installation _ 8
4. Selection of class of installation_ 10
4.1 Protective installation_ 10
4.2 Enclosed installation _ 10
4.3 Unattended installation_ 11
4.4 Open installation _ 11
5. Plans for radiation installations_ 11
5.1 Review by qualified expert_ 11
5.2 Information to be supplied to a qualified expert_ 11
5.3 Approval of plans by qualified expert _ 11
5.4 Effect of distance on shielding requirements_ 11
5.5 Direction of useful beam_ 11
5.6 Cross section of beam _ 11
5.7 Multiple sources of radiation _ 12
5.8 Radiation energy, output, and workload_ 12
6. Structural details of shielding barriers _ 12
6.1 Quality of shielding material _ 12
6.2 Lead barriers _ 12
6.3 Joints between different materials or structures_ 12
6.4 Shielding of openings in shielding barriers_ 12
6.4.1 Perforations _ 13
6.4.2 Openings for pipes, ducts, conduits, louvers, etc _ 13
6.4.3 Doors and observation windows _ 13
6.5 General protection requirements for doors into protected areas._ 13
6.5.1 Location of doors_ 13
6.5.2 Interlock systems for doors_ 13
6.5.3 Resumption of operation_ 14
6.5.4 Threshold baffle for door sill _ 14
6.5.5 Lap of door jamb_ 14
7. Radiation protection surveys and inspections _ 14
7.1 Survey of new installations _ 14
7.2 Changes in existing installations _ 14
7.3 Report of radiation protection survey_ 14
7.4 Elimination of hazards _ 14
7.5 Retention of survey reports_ 14
7.6 Radiation protection survey procedures_ 15
7.6.1 Installation inspection_ 15
7.6.2 Radiation measurements_ 15
7.6.3 Personnel monitoring _ 15
7.6.4 Contents of radiation protection survey report_ 15
7.7 Inspections _ 16
8. Operating procedures _ 16
8.1 Restrictions according to classification_ 16
8.1.1 Protective installation_ 16
8.1.2 Enclosed installation_ 16
8.1.3 Unattended installation _ 16
8.1.4 Open installation_ 16
8.2 Radiation protection responsibility _ 17
8.3 Radiation safety instructions _ 17
8.4 Personnel monitoring _ 17
8.5 Radiation measurement and instrument calibration_ 18
9. Revision of American N ational Standards referred to in this document- - 18
APPENDIX A. Occupancy and use factors_ 19
APPENDIX B. Determination of gamma ray-shielding barrier thick¬
nesses _ 20
APPENDIX C. Tables of general x-ray information _ 39
APPENDIX D. X-ray shielding tables for controlled areas and environs.. 43
APPENDIX E. Determination of x-ray shielding barrier thicknesses_ 49
APPENDIX F. References_ 60

IX
 AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARD

General Safety Standard for Installations

Using Non-Medical X-Ray and Sealed
Gamma-Ray Sources, Energies up to 10 MeV
This standard establishes requirements for the design and operation of
common types of installations which use gamma and x radiation for non¬
medical purposes. Its objective is to protect persons who work with or are near
such installations, as well as the general public, against excessive exposure to
radiation. Maximum permissible dose limits established by the National Council
on Radiation Protection and Measurements are cited. Methods for achieving
adequate radiation protection are described, including structural details, sur¬
veys and inspections, and operating procedures. Appendixes contain technical
information useful for design of radiation shielding barriers.

Key words: Gamma-ray equipment; radiation installations; radiation safety;

x-ray equipment.

1. Scope
1.1. This standard is intended to serve as a guide toward the
safe use of X-ray and sealed gamma-ray sources for non-medical
purposes. Its main objectives are to reduce needless exposure
of persons to radiation and to ensure that no one receives
more than the maximum permissible dose equivalent. These
objectives are achieved by the use of appropriate equipment,
ample shielding and safe operating procedures.
1.2. Those recommendations containing the word “shall”
identify requirements that are necessary to meet the stand¬
ards of protection of this document. Those using the word
“should” indicate advisory recommendations that are to be
applied when practicable.

2. Definitions
The definitions and terms contained in this standard, or in
other American National Standards referred to in this docu¬
ment, are not intended to embrace all legitimate meanings of
the terms. They are applicable only to the subject treated in
this standard.
An asterisk (*) denotes those definitions taken from ANSI
Nl.1-1967, Glossary of Terms in Nuclear Science and
Technology.
ACTIVITY (A). The quotient of dN by dt, where dN is the
number of spontaneous nuclear transformations which occur
in a quantity of a radioactive nuclide in the time interval dt.
The special unit of activity is the curie.
* ATTENUATION. The reduction of a radiation quantity upon
passage of radiation through matter, resulting from all types
of interaction with that matter. The radiation quantity may be,
for example, the particle flux density.

1
 BARRIER. (See Shielding Barrier)
* CONTROLLED AREA. A specified area in which exposure of
personnel to radiation or radioactive material is controlled
and which is under the supervision of a person who has knowl¬
edge of the appropriate radiation protection practices, includ¬
ing pertinent regulations, and who has responsibility for
applying them.
CURIE (Ci). The special unit of activity. One curie equals
3.7 x 1010 spontaneous nuclear transformations per second
exactly, or by popular usage, the quantity of any radioactive
material having an activity of one curie.
* DOSE, ABSORBED. The energy imparted to matter in a
volume element by ionizing radiation divided by the mass of
irradiated material in that volume element. The special unit
of absorbed dose is the rad. One rad equals 100 ergs per gram
(also commonly called dose).
* DOSE DISTRIBUTION FACTOR (DF). A factor used in
computing dose equivalent to account for the nonuniform dis¬
tribution of internally deposited radionuclides.
* DOSE EQUIVALENT (H). The product of absorbed dose,
quality factor, dose distribution factor, and other modifying
factors necessary to express on a common scale, for all ionizing
radiations, the irradiation incurred by exposed persons. The
special unit of dose equivalent is the rem. (For radiation protec¬
tion purposes in this standard, the dose equivalent in rems may
be considered numerically equivalent to the absorbed dose in
rads and the exposure in roentgens.)
* EXPOSURE. A measure of the ionization produced in air
by x- or gamma-radiation. It is the sum of the electrical charges
on all of the ions of one sign produced in air when all electrons
liberated by photons in a volume element of air are completely
stopped in the air, divided by the mass of the air in the volume
element. The special unit of exposure is the roentgen.
* EXPOSURE RATE. Exposure per unit time.
FAIL-SAFE DESIGN. One in which all failures of indicator
or safety components that can reasonably be anticipated cause
the equipment to fail in a mode such that personnel are safe
from exposure to radiation. For example: (a) if a light indicating
“x-rays on” fails, the production of x-rays shall be prevented,
and (b) if a shutter status indicator fails, the shutter shall
close.
HALF-VALUE LAYER (HVL): HALF-VALUE THICKNESS.
The thickness of a specified substance which, when introduced
into the path of a given beam of radiation, reduces the value of
a specified radiation quantity upon transmission through the
substance by one-half. It is sometimes expressed in terms of
mass per unit area.
INSTALLATION. A radiation source, with its associated
equipment, and the space in which it is located. (See sec. 3.
Classification of Installation.)
INTERLOCK. A device for precluding access to an area of
radiation hazard either by preventing entry or by automatically
removing the hazard.

2
 LEAD EQUIVALENT. The thickness of lead affording the
same attenuation, under specified conditions, as the material
in question.
LEAKAGE. The undesired release of radioactive material
from a sealed source.
LEAKAGE RADIATION. (See Radiation, Ionizing.)
LEAK TEST. A method capable of detecting the leakage of
radioactive material from a sealed source.
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE DOSE EQUIVALENT (MPD). The
maximum dose equivalent that the body of a person or specific
parts thereof shall be permitted to receive in a stated period of
time. For the radiations considered here, the dose equivalent
in rems may be considered numerically equal to the absorbed
dose in rads and the exposure in roentgens. (See table 1.)
^MONITORING, RADIATION (RADIATION PROTECTION).
The continuing collection and assessment of the pertinent in¬
formation to determine the adequacy of radiation protection
practices and to alert to potentially significant changes in con¬
ditions or protection performance.
OCCUPANCY FACTOR (T). The factor by which the workload
should be multiplied to correct for the degree or type of occu¬
pancy of the area in question.
OCCUPIED AREA. An area that may be occupied by persons.
QUALIFIED EXPERT. A person having the knowledge and
training necessary to measure ionizing radiations and to advise
regarding radiation protection, for example, persons certified
in this field by the American Boards of Radiology, Health
Physics, or Industrial Hygiene.
QUALITY FACTOR (Q). The linear-energy-transfer-
dependent factor by which absorbed doses are to be multiplied
to obtain, for radiation protection purposes, a quantity that
expresses on a common scale for all ionizing radiations the
irradiation incurred by exposed persons.
RADIATION PROTECTION SUPERVISOR. A person directly
responsible for radiation protection. It is his duty to insure
that all procedures are carried out in compliance with pertinent
established rules, including recommendations contained in this
document.
RADIATION PROTECTION SURVEY. Evaluation of the radi¬
ation hazards in and around an installation. It customarily
includes a physical survey of the arrangement and use of the
equipment and measurements of the exposure rates under
expected operating conditions.

* RADIATION, IONIZING. Any electromagnetic or particu¬

late radiation capable of producing ions, directly or indirectly,
by interaction with matter.

PRIMARY RADIATION.
a. X-RAYS. Radiation coming directly from the target
of the x-ray tube.
b. BETA AND GAMMA RAYS. Radiation coming directly
from the radioactive source.

3
 SECONDARY RADIATION. Radiation other than the
primary radiation, emitted by irradiated matter.
SCATTERED RADIATION. Radiation that, during passage
through matter, has been deviated in direction and usually
has also had its energy diminished.
USEFUL BEAM. That part of the primary and secondary
radiation which passes through the aperture, cone or other
device for collimation.
LEAKAGE RADIATION. All radiation, except the useful
beam, coming from the tube or source housing.
STRAY RADIATION. Radiation other than the useful
beam. It includes leakage, secondary, and scattered
radiation.

* RAD. The special unit of absorbed dose. 1 rad is 100 ergs/g.

* RADIATION SOURCE. An apparatus or a material emitting
or capable of emitting ionizing radiation.
RADIATION WORKER. An individual whose work is normally
performed in a controlled area, or whose duties involve ex¬
posure to radiation and who is subject to appropriate radiation
protection controls.
* REM. The special unit of dose equivalent. The dose equiva¬
lent in rems is numerically equal to the absorbed dose in rads
multiplied by the quality factor, the distribution factor, and any
other necessary modifying factors.
RHM (Rhm). Roentgens per hour at 1 meter from the effective
center of the source. (This distance is usually measured to the
nearest surface of the source as its effective center generally
is not known.)
* ROENTGEN (R). The special unit of exposure. One roentgen
equals 2.58 x 10-4 Coulomb per kilogram of air.
SEALED SOURCE. Radioactive material sealed in a con¬
tainer or having a bonded cover, where the container or cover
has sufficient mechanical strength to prevent contact with and
dispersion of the radioactive material under the conditions of
use and wear for which it was designed.

SCATTERED RADIATION. (See Radiation, Ionizing.)

SECONDARY RADIATION. (See Radiation, Ionizing.)
SHALL. Indicates a recommendation that is necessary or
essential to meet the standards of protection of this document.
SHIELDING BARRIER. Barrier of attenuating material
used to reduce radiation hazards.
SHIELDING BARRIER, PRIMARY. Barrier sufficient to
attenuate the useful beam to the required level.
SHIELDING BARRIER, SECONDARY. Barrier sufficient to
attenuate stray radiation to the required level.
SHOULD. Is recommended, is advisable, indicates an ad¬
visory recommendation that is to be applied when practicable.
SOURCE HOUSING. An enclosure for a sealed source which
provides attenuation of the radiation emitted by the source.
The enclosure may have an aperture through which the useful
beam is emitted or through which the source is extracted.

4
 STRAY RADIATION. (See Radiation, Ionizing.)
SURVEY. (See Radiation Protection Survey)
* TENTH-VALUE LAYER (TVL). Thickness of an absorber
required to attenuate a beam of radiation by a factor of ten.
TUBE HOUSING. An enclosure which contains an x-ray tube
and which has a port through which the useful beam is emitted.
The tube housing may also contain transformers and other
appropriate components. (See appendix C for a definition of
protective tube housing.)
USE FACTOR (U). The fraction of the workload during which
the useful beam is pointed in the direction under consideration.
USEFUL BEAM. (See Radiation, Ionizing.)
WORKLOAD. A measure in suitable units of the amount of
use of radiation equipment. For the purpose of this standard
the workload is expressed in milliampere-minutes per week for
x-ray sources and roentgens per week at one meter from the
source for gamma-ray sources and high energy equipment
(such as linear accelerators, betatrons, etc.).

3. Classification of Installations
Basically any installation which is so constructed and oper¬
ated as to meet the Maximum Permissible Dose Equivalent
requirements is acceptable. However, if this were the only
requisite, the assumptions as to the use of the equipment and
degree of occupancy might be subject to widely divergent
interpretations. In order to ensure certain minimum standards
of protection without needless expenditures, it has been found
advisable to classify installations. Their basic requirements
are given below. (See sec. 4 for selection of class, 7.6 for specific
tests, and sec. 8 for operating limitations.)
3.1. PROTECTIVE INSTALLATION. An installation shall
be so classified when it conforms with all of the following
requirements:
3.1.1. The source and all objects exposed thereto are within
a permanent enclosure, within which no person is permitted
to remain during irradiation.
3.1.2. Reliable safety interlocks are provided to prevent
access to the enclosure during irradiation (See paragraph 6.5.2).
3.1.3. If the enclosure is of such a size or is so arranged
that the operator cannot readily determine whether the en¬
closure is unoccupied, there shall be provided:
3.1.3.1. Fail safe audible or visible warning signals (pref¬
erably of the rotating beacon type) within the enclosure which
shall be actuated a minimum of 20 seconds before irradiation
can be started, and the visible signal shall remain actuated
during irradiation.
The audible signal shall be of a frequency or capable of
producing a sound pressure level such that it can be heard over
background noise that may be present. Specifications for
audible signals are recommended in ANSI N2.3-1967.

5
 3.1.3.2. Suitable means of exit, so that any person who
accidentally may be shut in can leave the enclosure without
delay.
3.1.3.3. Effective means within the enclosure for prevent¬
ing or quickly interrupting the irradiation. The use and func¬
tion of such a device shall be clearly labeled.
3.1.4. The exposure at any accessible region 2 in (5 cm)
from the outside surface of the enclosure cannot exceed 0.5
mR in any 1 hour. (The distance 2 in is chosen as being the
minimum practical distance from the barrier at which the ex¬
posure may be measured. The limit of 0.5 mR in 1 hour assures
with reasonable probability that under practical conditions of
occupancy and use, the requirements of paragraph 3.1.6 would
be met.)
3.1.5. All installations shall display suitable warning signs
as given below:
3.1.5.1. The interior of the exposure room shall be posted
with a sign that operates in conjunction with the warning
signals in paragraph 3.1.3.1. The sign shall contain the radiation
symbol (see fig. 1) and the words “Danger: High Radiation
Area.”1 The interior of a cabinet installation shall be posted
with a similar sign which shall be visible with the access door
open.
3.1.5.2. The entrance to the exposure room shall be posted
with a sign containing the radiation symbol and the words
“Caution: Entering Radiation Exposure Room.” Cabinet type
installations housing x-ray equipment shall have a sign on the
outside showing the radiation symbol and “Caution: X-Rays.”
Cabinet type installations having a radioactive source shall
have a similar sign but with the words “Caution: Radioactive
Material.”
3.1.6. No person, either within the controlled area or in the
environs of the installation, is exposed to more than the maxi¬
mum permissible dose equivalent (MPD). (See table 1.)
3.1.7. Most installations are subject to Federal, state or
local regulations which may involve registration, licensing or
compliance with specific rules. For example, to meet Federal
requirements (AEC) the radiation levels in a noncontrolled
area must not result in an exposure to an individual continu¬
ously present in the area in excess of 2 mR in any 1 hour or
100 mR in any 7 consecutive days.
3.2. ENCLOSED INSTALLATION. An installation shall be
so classified when it conforms with all the following require¬
ments:
3.2.1. The source and all objects exposed thereto are within
a permanent enclosure, within which no person is permitted to
remain during irradiation.
3.2.2. Reliable safety interlocks are provided to prevent
access to the enclosure during irradiation (See paragraph
6.5.2).
1 Or “Caution: High Radiation Area.”

6
 Table 1. Maximum permissible dose equivalent values (MPD) [21]
Exposure of patients for medical and dental purposes is not included in the maximum permissible dose
equivalent.

Maximum Maximum Maximum

13-week yearly accumu¬
dose dose lated
dose

rema rem a rema

Controlled Areas

Whole Body, Gonads, Lens of Eye, Red Bone Marrow 3 5 5(N—18)b

Skin (Other than hands and forearms) 15
Hands _ _ _ _ __ _ 25 75
Forearms 10 30
Other Organs 5 15

Noncontrolled Areas - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -_ 0.5

a The numerical value of the dose equivalent in rems may be assumed to be equal to the numerical
value of the exposure in roentgens for the purpose of this report.
hN= Age in years and is greater than 18. When the previous occupational history of an individual is
not definitely known, it shall be assumed that he has already received the MPD permitted by the formula
5 (A —18).

3.2.3. If the enclosure is of such a size or is so arranged that

the operator cannot readily determine whether the enclosure is
unoccupied, there shall be provided:
3.2.3.1. Fail safe audible or visible warning signals
(preferably of the rotating beacon type) within the enclosure
which shall be actuated a minimum of 20 seconds before irradi¬
ation can be started, and the visible signal shall remain actu¬
ated during irradiation.
The audible signal shall be of a frequency or capable of
producing a sound pressure level such that it can be heard over
background noise that may be present. Specifications for audi¬
ble signals are recommended in ANSI N2.3-1967.
3.2.3.2. Suitable means of exit, so that any person who
accidentally may be shut in can leave the enclosure without
delay.
3.2.3.3. Effective means within the enclosure for pre¬
venting or quickly interrupting the irradiation. The use and
function of such a device shall be clearly labeled.
3.2.4. The exposure at any accessible and occupied area 1
foot (30 cm) from the outside surface of the enclosure does not
exceed 10 mR in any 1 hour and the exposure at any accessible
and normally unoccupied area 1 foot (30 cm) from the outside
surface of the enclosure does not exceed 100 mR in any 1 hour.
For x-ray installations, this exposure limitation shall be met
for any x-ray tube to be used in the enclosures and operating
at any specified mA and kV rating within the manufacturer’s
published recommendations. No beam limiting device or filter
shall be used during these tests unless such devices and filters
are permanently attached to the x-ray tubes or gamma expo¬
sure device and the unit cannot be operated without their use.
The radiation source and beam direction shall be positioned and
oriented so that the highest exposure rate will be encountered
in the area under test provided that such positioning and orien-

7
tation will serve a practical purpose in normal usage. It is
assumed that under normal and practical conditions, the pro¬
visions of paragraph 3.2.6 can be met.
3.2.5. The posting requirements as listed in paragraph 3.1.5
shall be met in addition to those given below.
3.2.5.1. The accessible area in which exposure exceeds
5 mR in any 1 hour shall have signs posted showing the radia¬
tion symbol and the words “Caution: Radiation Area.”
3.1.5.2. All entrances to a radiation area shall have signs
posted showing the radiation symbol and the words “Caution:
Entering Radiation Area.”
3.2.6. No person, either within the controlled area or in the
environs of the installation, is exposed to more than the maxi¬
mum permissible dose equivalent (MPD). (See table 1.)
3.2.7. For Federal, state or local regulations see paragraph
3.1.7.
3.3. UNATTENDED INSTALLATION. An installation shall
be so classified when it conforms with all of the following
requirements.
3.3.1. The source is installed in a single purpose device.
3.3.2. The radioactive source is contained in a shielded
enclosure. If the device is equipped with a shutter, or other
absorber, so that the useful radiation beam can be reduced in
magnitude, the “closed” and “open” positions shall be easily
identified. X-ray machines shall have a visual warning signal
when x-rays are produced.
3.3.3. Unless licensed by Federal or state authorities, the
exposure at any accessible region 1 foot (30 cm) from the outside
surface of the device shall not exceed 2 mR in any 1 hour when
the device is in its normal operating condition, and occupancy
in the vicinity of the device shall be limited so that the ex¬
posure to an individual in any one year shall not exceed 0.5 R.
3.3.4. All installations shall display a suitable warning sign
as given below.
Devices utilizing a radioactive source shall be posted with
the radiation symbol in figure 1 and the words “Caution:
Radioactive Material.” Similarly, devices housing an x-ray
machine shall have the radiation symbol and the words
“Caution: X-rays.”
3.3.5. Service doors to areas with exposure levels exceeding
that specified in paragraph 3.3.3 shall be locked or secured with
fasteners requiring special tools available only to qualified
service personnel.
3.3.6. For Federal, state, or local regulations, see paragraph
3.1.7.
3.4. OPEN INSTALLATION. An Open Installation is one
which, due to operational requirements, cannot be provided
with the inherent degree of protection specified for either
Protective, Enclosed, or Unattended Installations. An installa¬
tion shall be so classified when it conforms with all of the follow¬
ing requirements:

8
 3.4.1. The source and all objects exposed thereto are within
a conspicuously posted perimeter that limits the area in which
the exposure can exceed 100 mR in any 1 hour. The sign shall
display the radiation symbol and the words “Danger: High
Radiation Area.” (See footnote 1.)
3.4.2. No person has access to the high radiation area within
the perimeter nor may remain in the area during irradiation.
Positive means for preventing access, such as locked enclosure,
shall be provided during periods of unattended irradiation.

FIGURE 1. Radiation symbol*

* (As specified in American National Standard N2.1-1969.)

9
 3.4.3. The perimeter of any area in which the radiation
level is in excess of 5 mR in any 1 hour shall be defined and
posted with a sign displaying the radiation symbol and the
words “Caution: Radiation Area.”
3.4.4. The source and equipment essential to the use of the
source shall be inaccessible to unauthorized use, tampering
or removal. This shall be accomplished by the attendance of a
knowledgeable person or by other positive means such as locked
enclosure.
3.4.5. No person, either within a controlled area or in the
environs of the installation, is exposed to more than the appli¬
cable maximum permissible dose equivalent (MPD). (See
table 1.)
3.4.6. For Federal, state, or local regulations, see paragraph
3.1.7.

4. Selection of Class of Installation

Radiation facilities shall be constructed to meet the require¬
ments of one of the four classes of installations described in
section 3. The classes differ in their relative dependence on
inherent shielding, operating restrictions, and supervision to
secure the required degree of protection.
Each class has certain advantages and limitations; these are
indicated below:
4.1. PROTECTIVE INSTALLATION. This class provides the
highest degree of inherent safety because the protection does
not depend on compliance with any operating limitations. This
type also has the advantage of not requiring restrictions in
occupancy outside the enclosure since the built-in shielding is
generally sufficient to meet the maximum permissible dose
requirements for noncontrolled areas.
However, the low allowable exposure level (0.5 mR in 1 hour)
for this class of installation necessitates a higher degree of
inherent shielding. For radiation sources of lower energies,
and for smaller enclosures, such as cabinets, the initial extra
cost of the increased shielding is usually insignificant compared
with the operational advantages.
At higher energies, as in the megavolt region wit-h high work¬
loads, the required additional shielding will usually make the
use of this class extremely expensive compared with the En¬
closed Installation. For instance, in the case of cobalt 60, the
required concrete thickness of the primary barrier for the
Protective type may have to be about a foot greater than for
the Enclosed type.
4.2. ENCLOSED INSTALLATION. This class usually offers
the greatest advantages for fixed installations with low use and
occupancy factors. This is particularly true for high-energy
sources where the reduction in shielding may result in signifi¬
cant savings. The shielding requirements are considerably
lower than for the Protective Installation, as much as 4.3
HVL less, yet, the inherent protection is such that the possi-

10
bility of significant exposure is remote. With proper supervision,
this class offers a degree of protection similar to the Protective
Installation.
4.3. UNATTENDED INSTALLATION. This class consists of
automatic equipment designed and manufactured by a supplier
for a specific purpose and does not require personnel in at¬
tendance for its operation. The inherent radiation safety of
such equipment makes installation possible in a noncontrolled
area.
4.4. OPEN INSTALLATION. This class shall be selected
only if operational requirements prevent the use of one of the
other classes. Its use should be limited mainly to mobile and
portable equipment where fixed shielding cannot be used.
The operational requirements of other classes of installations
may necessitate use of this class.
The protection of personnel and the public depends almost
entirely on strict adherence to safe operating procedures.
With this adherence, Open Installations can provide a degree
of protection similar to the other classes.

5. Plans for Radiation Installations

5.1. REVIEW BY QUALIFIED EXPERT. The structural
shielding requirements of any new installation, or of an exist¬
ing one in which changes are contemplated, should be re¬
viewed by a qualified expert early in the planning stage.
5.2. INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLIED TO A QUALIFIED
EXPERT. The expert should be provided with available data
concerning the type of source, the kilovoltage or energy, milli-
amperage or output in Rhm, the contemplated use of the source,
the expected workload, and use factors, the structural details
of the building and the type of occupancy of all areas which
might be affected by the installation.
Data for the determination of shielding barrier thicknesses
may be found in the appendices of this standard. See section 6
for structural details.
5.3. APPROVAL OF PLANS BY QUALIFIED EXPERT.
Final shielding plans and all pertinent specifications should be
approved by a qualified expert before construction begins.
5.4. EFFECT OF DISTANCE ON SHIELDING REQUIRE¬
MENTS. Shielding requirements generally may be reduced by
locating the installation at a distance from occupied areas.
(See tables 7, 9, and 10 appendices B and C for minimum safe
distanc6s )
5.5. DIRECTION OF USEFUL BEAM. The cost of shielding
may be reduced significantly by arranging the installation so
that the useful beam is directed toward occupied areas as little
as possible. (There is, of course, no objection to directing the
useful beam at occupied areas provided there is adequate
protection.)
5.6. CROSS SECTION OF BEAM. Devices which perma¬
nently restrict the direction and cross section of the useful
beam may reduce the area requiring primary shielding barriers.
11
 5.7. MULTIPLE SOURCES OF RADIATION. Where persons
are likely to be exposed to radiation from more than one source
simultaneously, or at different times, the protection associated
with each source shall be increased so that the total dose re¬
ceived by any one person from all sources shall not exceed the
maximum permissible dose.
5.8. RADIATION ENERGY, OUTPUT, AND WORKLOAD.
The shielding for each occupied area should be determined on
the basis of the expected maximum kilovoltage or energy, mA
or Rhm, workload, use factor, and occupancy factor associated
with the area. Consideration should be given to the possibility
that these may increase in the future resulting in increased
exposure. It may be more economical to provide a higher degree
of protection initially than to add shielding later.

6. Structural Details of Shielding Barriers

Any material will provide the required degree of shielding,
if of sufficient thickness. At lower radiation energies, materials
of high atomic number provide the attenuation with the least
barrier weight.
6.1. QUALITY OF SHIELDING MATERIAL. All shielding
materials shall be of assured quality, uniformity, and
permanency.
6.2. LEAD BARRIERS.
6.2.1. Lead barriers shall be mounted in such a manner
that they will not cold-flow because of their own weight and
shall be protected against mechanical damage.
6.2.2. Lead sheets at joints should be in contact with a lap
of at least one-half inch or twice the thickness of the sheet,
whichever is the greater.
6.2.3. Welded or burned lead seams are permissible, pro¬
vided the lead equivalent of the seams is not less than the
minimum requirement.
6.3. JOINTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT MATERIALS OR
STRUCTURES.
6.3.1. Joints between different kinds of shielding materials
shall be constructed so that the overall protection of the bar¬
rier is not impaired.
6.3.2. Joints at the floor and ceiling shall be constructed
so that the overall protection is not impaired. (See fig. 2 for
example.)
6.4. SHIELDING OF OPENINGS IN SHIELDING BAR¬
RIERS. In the planning of an installation, careful consideration
should be given to reducing the number and size of all perfora¬
tions of shielding barriers and openings into protected areas,
protection for all such openings shall be provided by means of
suitable shielding baffles.

12
 FIGURE 2. Example of a wall joint.
The sum of radiations through all paths ABCF and DEF to the point F shall be not more
than the maximum permissible exposure. The framework supporting the lead wall is here
considered to be of relatively x-ray transparent material.

FIGURE 3. Example of door baffle.

The sum of radiations through all paths ABCF and DEF to the point F shall not be more
than the maximum permissible exposure. The supporting structure for the lead door is
here considered to be a framework of relatively x-ray transparent material.

6.4.1. PERFORATIONS. Provision shall be made to ensure

that nails, rivets, or screws which perforate shielding barriers
are covered to give protection equivalent to that of the unper¬
forated barrier.
6.4.2. OPENINGS FOR PIPES, DUCTS, CONDUITS,
LOUVERS, ETC. Holes in barriers for pipes, ducts, conduits,
louvers, etc., shall be provided with baffles to ensure that the
overall protection afforded by the barrier is not impaired.
These holes should be located outside the range of possible
orientations of the useful beam.
6.4.3. DOORS AND OBSERVATION WINDOWS. The lead
equivalent of doors and observation windows of exposure
rooms, cubicles, and cabinets shall not be less than that re¬
quired for the walls or barrier in which they are located.
6.5. GENERAL PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR DOORS
INTO PROTECTED AREAS.
6.5.1. LOCATION OF DOORS. Where practical, doors into
exposure rooms should be so located that the operator has
direct control of access to the room.
6.5.2. INTERLOCK SYSTEMS FOR DOORS. All doors and
panels opening into an x-ray exposure room or cabinet (except
those panels which can be opened or removed only with tools)

13
shall be provided with fail-safe interlocking switches or devices
preventing irradiation unless the door or panel is closed. All
doors and panels opening into a high radiation area of a gamma
ray installation (except those which can be opened or removed
only with tools) shall be equipped with a fail-safe device which
shall either cause the level of radiation to be reduced below
100 mR in any hour upon entry into the area or shall cause a
visual or audible alarm signal to energize. For temporary ex¬
posure rooms (less than 30 days) this device is not required but
the door shall be equipped with a suitable lock.
6.5.3. RESUMPTION OF OPERATION. If the operation of
any radiation source has been interrupted by the opening of a
door or panel to an installation, it shall not be possible to resume
operation by merely closing the door or panel in question. To
resume operation, it shall be necessary, in addition, to re¬
energize manually a suitable device located on or near the
control panel.
6.5.4. THRESHOLD BAFFLE FOR DOOR SILL. A door
baffle or threshold may be required for installations operating
above 125 kVp, if the discontinuity can be struck by the useful
beam. (See figure 3 for example that fulfills the baffle require¬
ment.)
6.5.5. LAP OF DOOR JAMB. The shielding lead covering of
any door leading to an exposure room or cabinet shall overlap
that of the door jamb and lintel so as to reduce the radiation
passing through clearance spaces to the allowable limit for the
door itself.

7. Radiation Protection Surveys and Inspections

7.1. SURVEY OF NEW INSTALLATIONS. Before a new in¬
stallation is placed in routine operation a radiation protection
survey shall be made by a qualified expert. This survey should
determine that a leak test on sealed sources has been conducted.
7.2. CHANGES IN EXISTING INSTALLATIONS. A radiation
protection resurvey or reevaluation by a qualified expert shall
be made when changes have been made in shielding, operation,
equipment, or occupancy of adjacent areas, and these changes
may have adversely affected radiation protection. A qualified
expert should be consulted in case of doubt.
7.3. REPORT OF RADIATION PROTECTION SURVEY. No
existing installation shall be assumed to conform with the pro¬
visions of this standard unless a radiation protection survey
has been made by a qualified expert and a report of the survey
has been placed on file at the installation.
7.4. ELIMINATION OF HAZARDS. The radiation hazards
that may be found in the course of a survey shall be eliminated
before the installation is used.
7.5. RETENTION OF SURVEY REPORTS. Reports of all radi¬
ation protection surveys shall be retained together with a rec¬
ord of the action taken with respect to the recommendations
they contain.

14
 7.6. RADIATION PROTECTION SURVEY PROCEDURES. A
radiation protection survey shall include the following pro-
cedures:
7.6.1. INSTALLATION INSPECTION. The installation shall
be inspected to verify or determine the present and expected oc¬
cupancy of the adjacent areas. Devices that have a bearing on
radiation protection shall be inspected for proper operation.
These include audible or visible warning signals, interlocks, de¬
lay switches, and mechanical or electrical devices which restrict
positioning of the radiation source.
7.6.2. RADIATION MEASUREMENTS. Radiation exposure
shall be measured in all adjacent areas that can be occupied.
The measurements shall be made under practical conditions of
operation that will result in the greatest exposure at the point
of interest. X-ray apparatus should be operated at the max¬
imum kilovoltage and at its maximum milliamperage for con¬
tinuous operation at that voltage. High energy equipment (such
as linear accelerators, betatrons, etc.) should be operated at
maximum radiation output.
7.6.3. PERSONNEL MONITORING. A qualified expert
shall determine the adequacy of the personnel monitoring
programs for all classes of installations. Personnel monitoring
may not be required for a Protective Installation where a
person cannot enter the exposure cubicle.
7.6.4. CONTENTS OF RADIATION PROTECTION SURVEY
REPORT. A report of a radiation protection survey shall
include:
7.6.4.1. Identification of the persons conducting the
survey and the date of survey.
7.6.4.2. Identification of the radiation source and instal¬
lation by suitable means, e.g., serial number, room number,
and building number or name.
7.6.4.3. Identification of instrument used and date of last
calibration.
7.6.4.4. The identity and Rhm or activity in curies of a
gamma source, including calibration date, or the potential
and current at which an x-ray tube was operated during the
test.
7.6.4.5. A statement indicating the appropriate classifi¬
cation of the installation.
(The following shall be included when applicable.)
7.6.4.6. The location of the source and the orientation of
the useful beam with relation to each exposure measurement.
7.6.4.7. Exposure rates in all adjacent occupied areas.
The locations of the measurements shall be suitably identi¬
fied; appropriate drawings may facilitate this identification.
7.6.4.8. A description of the existing mechanical and
electrical limiting devices that restrict the orientation of the
useful beam and the position of the source.
7.6.4.9. A statement of the restrictions, if any, that shall
be placed on the weekly workload, degree of occupancy and
the time that the useful beam may be directed at any shielding
barrier.
15
 7.6.4.10. If an installation is found not to comply with
this standard, action required to ensure compliance shall be
stated; if a resurvey will be required, it should be so stated.
7.7. INSPECTIONS. All radiation shields, interlocking
switches and other safety devices shall be inspected period¬
ically and appropriately serviced as scheduled by the radiation
protection supervisor. The interval between inspections shall
not exceed six months. (See 8.2)
7.7.1. Inspection shall be made by a competent person but
not necessarily by a qualified expert.
7.7.2. Defective shielding barriers shall be promptly
repaired and the inspection shall be repeated to determine
whether the original degree of protection has been restored.
If there is doubt about the adequacy of the repair, a qualified
expert shall be consulted.
7.7.3. Inspection of protective devices is not a substitute for
a radiation protection survey.
7.7.4. Records of inspection dates, findings, and corrective
actions shall be kept on file.

8. Operating Procedures
8.1. RESTRICTIONS ACCORDING TO CLASSIFICATION.
8.1.1. PROTECTIVE INSTALLATION.
8.1.1.1. Since the inherent safety of the Protective In¬
stallation is dependent upon a higher degree of shielding,
there are no restrictions on the mode of operation of the
equipment.
8.1.1.2. If the enclosure is of such a size or is so arranged
that the operator cannot readily determine whether the en¬
closure is unoccupied, the operator shall make a physical
check of the enclosure before commencing or resuming
operation.
8.1.2. ENCLOSED INSTALLATION.
8.1.2.1. Since the safe operation of an Enclosed Installa¬
tion is based on the normal operating conditions specified
in the applicable radiation protection survey report, the equip¬
ment shall be operated only within the indicated limits.
8.1.2.2. If the enclosure is of such a size or is so arranged
that the operator cannot readily determine whether the enclo¬
sure is unoccupied, the operator shall make a physical check of
the enclosure before commencing or resuming operation.
8.1.2.3. When the operating conditions have changed so
that there is a probability that the exposure of any person may
be increased, a radiation protection resurveyor evaluation shall
be conducted. In case of doubt, a qualified expert should be con¬
sulted.
8.1.3. UNATTENDED INSTALLATION. No restrictions shall
be imposed on the mode of operation of the equipment.
8.1.4. OPEN INSTALLATION.
8.1.4.1. The safe operation of an open installation relies
upon operating personnel to survey areas and conduct the op-

16
eration according to established procedures. Equipment shall
be operated within limits established in paragraph 3.4.
8.1.4.2. A survey shall be made for each new operating
condition and the area of operation should be periodically mon¬
itored. Surveillance of the area shall be maintained during
operation.
8.1.4.3. When entering the operating area after irradia¬
tion, the operator shall use a suitable calibrated survey meter
to verify that the source has been returned to its “off” position
or that x-rays have been turned off.
8.2. RADIATION PROTECTION RESPONSIBILITY. The em¬
ployer or his representative shall designate a competent per¬
son as the Radiation Protection Supervisor. This person shall
be qualified by training or experience to carry out his duties as
indicated below:
8.2.1. Insuring that all installations are operated within
the limitations of the appropriate radiation protection survey
reports.
8.2.2. The instruction of personnel in safe working practices
and the nature of injuries resulting from overexposure to
radiation.
8.2.3. Investigating any incident of abnormal exposure or
suspected overexposure of personnel to determine the cause
and take remedial action.
8.2.4. Assuring that interlock switches, warning signals
and signs are functioning and located where required.
8.3. RADIATION SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS. Radiation safety
instructions shall be posted and furnished to each radiation
worker in writing.
8.4. PERSONNEL MONITORING.
8.4.1. Personnel monitoring shall be required for all
workers involved in the use of radiation apparatus in Open
and Enclosed Installations, and Protective Installations where
personnel can enter the exposure area. Film badges or thermo¬
luminescent dosimeters are acceptable for this purpose.
8.4.2. Personnel monitoring shall be performed in con¬
trolled areas for each occupationally exposed individual for
whom there is a reasonable possibility of receiving a dose in
any one calendar quarter exceeding one-fourth the applicable
quarterly MPD (See table 1.)
8.4.3. For monitoring of personnel in Open Installations
both film badges (or thermoluminescent dosimeters) and pocket
dosimeters covering the range of 0 to 200 millirem should be
used.
8.4.4. A qualified expert should be consulted on the estab¬
lishment of personnel monitoring systems.
8.4.5. Records shall be kept concerning individual radiation
exposures. These records shall include, as appropriate, results
from individual film badges, pocket dosimeters or chambers,
calculated results and the results of bioassay.
8.4.6. The guidance provided in ANSI N13.6-1966 (R
1972), Practice for Occupational Radiation Exposure Records
System, should be considered for the purposes of this standard.
17
 8.5. RADIATION MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENT
CALIBRATION.
8.5.1. Sufficient and suitable radiation survey instruments
shall be available to properly support the use of radiation
sources. The instruments shall be capable of detecting and
measuring the types and levels of radiation involved.
8.5.2. Each radiation survey instrument shall be calibrated
at intervals not to exceed three months, and after each service-
ing and repair. The calibration should be traceable to instru¬
ments or radiation sources calibrated at the National Bureau
of Standards.
8.5.3. Pocket dosimeters or chambers shall be calibrated
and checked for leakage at intervals not to exceed 6 months.

9. Revision of American National Standards Referred

to in This Document
When the following American National Standards referred
to in this document are superseded by a revision approved by
the American National Standards Institute, Inc., the revision
shall apply:

N2.1-1969, Radiation Symbol.

N2.3-1967, Immediate Evacuation Signal for Use in Industrial

Installations where Radiation Exposure May Occur.

N13.6-1966 (R 1972), Occupational Radiation Exposure Records

System, Practice for.

18
 Appendix A. Occupancy and Use Factors

(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard

N543, General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma Ray Sources, Energies
up to 10 MeV.)

Table 2. Occupancy factors (T)

[For use as a guide in planning shielding where adequate occupancy data are not available.]

Full occupancy (T= 1)

Control space, darkrooms, workrooms, shops, offices, and corridors

large enough to be used as working areas, rest and lounge rooms
routinely used by occupationally exposed personnel, living quar¬
ters, children’s play areas, occupied space in adjoining buildings.

Partial occupancy (T=l/4)

Corridors too narrow for desks, utility rooms, rest and lounge rooms
not used routinely by occupationally exposed personnel, elevators
using operators, unattended parking lots.

Occasional occupancy (T=l/16)

Closets too small for future occupancy, toilets not used routinely by
occupationally exposed personnel, stairways, automatic elevators,
outside areas used only for pedestrians or vehicular traffic.

Table 3. Use factors (U)

[For use as a guide in planning shielding when complete data are not available.]

Enclosed
Protective
Installation use all uses
Collimated Open
sources sources

Floor.._________ 1 1 1
Walls_______ 1 1
Ceiling__ . . 1 1

19
Appendix B. Determination of Gamma-Ray Shielding
Barrier Thicknesses
(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard
N543, General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources, Energies up
to 10 MeV.)
The thickness of shielding barrier necessary to reduce the
gamma rays from a sealed gamma source to the maximum
permissible level depends upon the energy of the radiation,
source strength, design of the source housing, beam diameter,
scattered radiation from irradiated objects, the use factor
(fraction of the time during which the radiation is incident on
the barrier), distance from the source to occupied areas, degree
and nature of occupancy, type of installation, and the material
of which the barrier is constructed.
Table 4 gives data on radioactive gamma-ray sources of in¬
terest for industrial purposes, including the energy of the
gamma rays emitted. Tables 5 through 8 give shielding require¬
ments for several commonly used types of source. Occasionally,
conditions are not covered by the tables and it will then be
necessary to resort to computation of the shielding require¬
ments by using the transmission curves in various materials,
figures 4 through 17.

Table 4. Gamma-ray sources

Atomic Gamma-ray Specific

Radioisotope number Half-life energy gamma-ray
constant

Z MeV R/curie a
h at 1 m
Cesium 137....... 55 27y 0.662 0. 32
Chromium 51___ 24 28d 0. 323 ° 0. 018
Cobalt 60....... 27 5.2y 1.17, 1.33 1.3
Gold 198.... 79 2.7d 0.412 0. 23
Iridium 192__ 77 74d 0.136, 1. 065 « 0.5
Radium 226__ 88 1622y 0. 047 to 2. 4 b 0. 825
Tantalum 182______ 73 115d 0. 066 to 1. 2 o 0.6

a These values assume that gamma-ray absorption in the source is negligible. Value in
R/curie h at 1 m can be converted to R/millicurie h at 1 cm by multiplying by 10.
b This value assumes that the source is sealed within a 0.50-mm thick platinum capsule.
c These values are less certain and in some cases are estimates.

The computation of the gamma shielding requirements may

be simplified by considering separately: (a) the useful beam,
(b) the radiation transmitted through the source housing
(leakage radiation), and (c) the scattered radiation.2
USEFUL BEAM. The primary-shielding-barrier thickness
may be obtained from figures 4, 5 and 6 if the permissible
transmission of radiation is known.
2 Equations (1) to (3) and the pertinent attenuation curves give the thickness of barrier when the radi¬
ation is incident normal to the surface. When the radiation is incident obliquely to the surface at an angle
6, the thickness of the barrier may not be equal to the thickness given by the equations and curves multi¬
plied by the cosine for very oblique angles (7).
If more than one source will produce appreciable radiation in the occupied area, then all such sources
must be considered in the barrier design.

20
 The permissible transmission, B, may be calculated from

Pd2 _ O.lPd2
WUT( 3.28)2 WUT u;
where
P is the permissible average weekly exposure (in roentgens)
for design purposes, having a value of 0.1R for controlled areas
and 0.01 R for the environs,
d is the distance from source to the position in question (in
feet),
W is the weekly exposure in the useful beam at 1 m from the
source (obtained by multiplying the roentgens per minute at 1 m
by the weekly irradiation time in minutes, averaged over a year),
T is the occupancy factor, the fraction of the yearly irradia¬
tion time during which a person is exposed (see table 2, appen¬
dix A),
U is the use factor, the fraction of the workload during which
the useful beam is pointed in the direction under consideration,
and
3.28 is the conversion from meters to feet.
LEAKAGE RADIATION. Equation (1) may be used to com¬
pute the barrier requirements for this radiation, where W is the
leakage radiation in roentgens per week measured at 1 m from
the source, and U is equal to 1.
SCATTERED RADIATION. Radiation scattered from an ir¬
radiated object has a lower rate and is softer (of lower energy)
than the incident beam. Both the energy and dose rate of the
scattered beam vary with the angle of scattering and atomic
number of the scatterer. Figures 7 and 8, the variation of Bs X
(Dg/Du) with barrier thickness, where Bs is the fractional trans¬
mission of the barrier, Ds is the unattenuated dose in the scat¬
tered beam at 1 m from the scatterer, and Du is the dose incident
on the scatterer. If the scatterer is at 1 m from the source and
the field diameter is that given in the curves of figures 7 and 8

O.lPd2
(2)
WT

If the scatterer is at 50 cm from the source and the field diam¬

eter is that given in the curves of figures 7 and 8

„ wDa 0.025Pd2
(3)
Bs X Du WT
for the same field size.
SECONDARY SHIELDING BARRIERS. The rules given
above for scattered radiation and for leakage radiation may
be used to compute the secondary-shielding-barrier thickness
for each of the two separate effects. If the barrier thicknesses
so computed separately are nearly equal (that is, differ by less
than 3 HVL), then 1 HVL should be added to the larger single-

21
barrier thickness to obtain the required total.3 But if one of
the thicknesses is more than 3 HVL greater than the other,
the thicker one alone is adequate.4
SHIELDING. If the shielding is adequate for the useful
radiation, that is, if it is a primary shielding barrier, it is
more than adequate for leakage and scattered radiation. It
should be determined, however, that radiation scattered around
the primary shielding barrier does not cause a radiation hazard.
For reasons of economy, barriers usually should be placed
as near to the source as possible. The barrier thickness is not
reduced by this procedure but the area and therefore the
volume are reduced; the barrier weight is approximately pro¬
portional to the square of the distance between the source
and the barrier.
Concrete, marble, and similar materials generally provide
the most economical barrier but lead may be required where
the space is limited or where it is desirable to reduce the weight.

3 Each of the two effects thus produce a permissible dose. Together they produce twice the permissible
dose. This radiation can be reduced to the permissible level by the addition of 1 HVL.
4 The larger thickness will permit transmission of the permissible level from one effect, plus not more
than one-eighth (3 HVL) of the permissible level from the other effect. This one-eighth excess is negligible
in view of other conservative approximations that are involved.

22
 Table 5A. Cobalt 60 shielding requirements for controlled areas

23
 TABLE 5B. Cobalt 60 shielding requirements for controlled areas*

24
II
> O
c3 o
A *

5g
>2

0> m
>o
26
c3 fl

Jcpj
£« §a
c Assumes use factor (U) and occupancy factor (T) are equal to one.
<* Refers to leakage radiation of source housing; may be ignored if less than 2.5 mR/h at 1 m in “on” position.
e For large field (20cm diam) and a source-phantom distance of 40 to 60 cm. This includes scattering from the collimator and from the phantom. (*rom
Rraestrup and Wyckoff [1].)
 TABLE 6A. Cesium-137 Shielding requirements for controlled areas

Distance in Feet from Source to Occupied Area

24,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
12,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
6,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
3,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
1,500_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
750_ 5 7 10 14 20 28
375_ 5 7 10 14 20

Approx.
Type of Protective
Barrier HVL TVL Lead Thickness in Centimeters
cm of cm of
Lead Lead

Primary____ 0.65 2.1 10.5 9.9 9.3 8.6 8.0 7.4 6.7 6.1 5.5 4.8 4.1

Secondary
Leakage c
0.1%_ 0.65 2.1 4.2 3.5 2.9 2.3 1.6 1.0 0.4 0 0 0 0
0.05%_ 0.65 3-1 3.5 2.9 2.3 1.6 1.0 0.4 0 0 0 0 0
Scatter d
35°_ 0.45 1.5 5.3 4.9 4.4 3.9 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.2 1.7 1.3 0.8
45°_ 0.41 1.4 4.7 4.3 3.9 3.5 3.1 2.7 2.3 1.9 1.5 1.1 0.7
60°_ 0.38 1.3 4.1 3.7 3.3 2.9 2.5 2.1 1.7 1.4 1.0 0.7 0.4
90°_ 0.22 0.7 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.3 1.1 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.1
120°_ 0.13 0.4 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0

a For a weekly design level of 100 mR; add one tenth-value layer (TVL) for noncontrolled areas, to
reduce to 10 mR/week.
11 IF—workload in R/week at 1 m, U— use factor, T— occupancy factor.
c Refers to leakage radiation of source housing when source in “ON” condition; may be ignored if less
than 2.5 mR/h at 1 m.
d For large field (20 cm diam) and a source-scatterer distance of 50 cm. This includes only scattering from
an obliquely oositioned flat scatterer.
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

TABLE 6B. Cesium-137 shielding requirements for controlled areas a

WUTb in R/week Distance in Feet from Source to Occupied Area

at 1 meter
rj
24,000 5 10 14 20 28 40
12,000.. . 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
6,000... 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
3,000 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
1,500_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
750_ 5 7 10 14 20 28
375 . 5 10 14 20

Approx.
Type of Protective
Barrier HVL TVL Concrete Thickness in Inches'
Inches Inches
of Con¬ of Con¬
crete crete

Primary __ 1.9 6.2 34.1 32.2 30.2 28.3 26.3 24.4 22.4 20.6 18.7 16.8 14.8

Secondary
Leakage"
0.1% _ 1.9 6.2 15.5 13.6 11.5 9.6 7.7 5.8 3.9 2.0 0 0 0
0.05%_ 1.9 6.2 13.6 11.5 9.6 7.7 5.8 3.9 2.0 0 0 0 0
Scatter'
35°_ 1.8 6.1 21.5 19.7 17.9 16.1 14.3 12.5 10.7 8.9 7.1 5.3 3.5
45° . 1.6 5.4 18.0 16.4 14.8 13.2 11.6 10.0 8.4 6.8 5.2 3.6 2.0
60° .. 1.5 4.9 15.8 14.3 12.8 11.3 9.8 8.3 6.8 5.3 3.8 2.3 0.8
90° .. 1.4 4.7 14.5 13.1 11.7 10.3 8.9 7.5 6.1 4.7 3.3 1.9 0.5
120°_ 1.3 4.4 13.1 11.8 10.5 9.2 7.9 6.6 5.3 4.0 2.7 1.4 0

aFor a weekly design level of 100 mR; add one tenth-value layer {TVL) for regions in the environs to
reduce to 10 mR/week.
b W-workload in R/week at 1 m, [/—use factor, T-occupancy factor.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
d Refers to leakage radiation of source housing when source in “ON” condition; may be ignored if less
than 2.5 mR/h at 1 m.
e For large field (20 cm diam) and a source-scatterer distance of 50 cm. This includes only scattering
from an obliquely positioned flat scatterer.
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

25
Table 7. Relation between distance and millicuiie-hours for an exposure
of 0.1 R from an unshielded source

Distance to source
M illicurie-hours

Radium Cobalt 60 Cesium 137 Iridium 192 Gold 198

ft ft ft ft ft
10_ 0.9 1.2 0.6 0.7 0.5
30_ 1.6 2.1 1.0 1.3 0.9
100_ 3.0 3.8 1.9 2.3 1.6
300_ 5. 1 6. 5 3.2 4.0 2.7
1,000_ 9.4 11.9 5.8 7.4 5.0
3,000_ _ 16.3 20.5 10.1 12. 7 9.0
10,000_ 30. 1 37.6 18.5 23.2 15.8

Table 8. Protection requirements {m centimeters of lead) for various

gamma-ray sources

Radium Cobalt 60 Cesium 137

TVL* = 5.5 cm lead TVLa = 4.1 cm lead TVLa = 2.2 cm lead

Millicurio-
hours Thickness of lead required to reduce radiation to 100 mRb at a distance of-

1 ft 3.2 ft 6.5 ft 1 ft 3.2 ft 6.5 ft 1 ft 3.2 ft 6.5 ft

100_ 4.0 0 0 5.0 0.7 0 1. 1 0 0

300_ 6.2 1.5 0 7.0 2.8 0 2. 1 0 0
1,000_ 8.9 3.6 1. 1 9. 1 4.9 2.5 3.3 1.1 0
3.000_ 11.3 5.8 3.1 11.0 6.8 4. 4 4.3 2.1 0.8
10,000_ 14. 1 8.5 5.5 13. 1 8.9 6.5 5.4 3.2 1.9
30,000_ 16.7 11.0 7.8 15.0 10.8 8.4 6.4 4.2 2.9
100,000_ 19.5 13.7 10.5 17.2 12.9 10.5 7.5 5.3 4.0

Iridium 192 Gold 198

TVLa=2.0 cm lead TVLa = l.l cm lead

Millicurie-hours Thickness of lead required to reduce radiation to 100 mR b

at a distance of—

1 ft 3.2 ft 6.5 ft 1 ft 3.2 ft 6.5 ft

100_ 0.8 0 0 0.4 0 0

300_ 1.4 0.1 0 0.9 0 0
1,000_ 2.2 0.7 0. 1 1.5 0.3 0
3,000_ 3. 1 1.4 0.6 2.1 0.9 0.2
10,000_ 4.0 2. 1 1.2 3.0 1. 4 0.8
30,000_ 5.0 3.0 2.0 3.9 2.0 1.3
100,000_ 6.2 4.0 2.8 5.3 2.9 1.9

a Approximate value obtained with large attenuation.

b Add one tenth-value layer (TVL) to reduce radiation to 10 mR.

26
FIGURE 4. Transmission through concrete (density 1U7 lb/ft3) of gamma rays
from radium \_lJf\i cobalt 60, cesium 137, gold 198 [7]; iridium 192 [75].

27
 TRANSMISSION,

FIGURE 5. Transmission through iron of gamma rays from radium [14]

cobalt 60, cesium 137 [7]; iridium 192 [15].

28
FIGURE 6. Transmission through lead of gamma rays from selected radio¬
nuclides.
Radium (Wyckoff and Kennedy [14]), cobalt-60, cesium-137, gold-198 (Kirn et al. [7]), iridium-192
(Ritz [15]).

29
FIGURE 7 a. Transmission through concrete (density 147 lb/ft3) of cobalt 60
scattered radiation from cylindrical Masonite phantom, 20-cm diam field at
1 m from source [10].

30
FIGURE 7b. Transmission through lead of cobalt 60 scattered radiation from
cylindrical Masonite phantom, 20-cm diam field at 1 m from source [10].

31
 10
k \ — 1
—
_
30cm DIAM. FIELD

\ \
1—V—\-
\\ i -v-v "
r

[\

\\ '
\35°
\ \90° \56° \
||9°\ \ \
\ \
\ «
\V \Y
\ \L
r \ \
L
\ \ r\
\ \ \

y\ \ \

\
_ \\ \ L \

w\ \
k
\ \
\

_=i -S

CONCRETE, inches

FIGURE 8a. Transmission through concrete (density 11+7 Ib/ft3) of cesium 137
radiation scattered at the indicated angles from an oblique concrete barrier
U].

32
 1000 B

FIGURE 8b. Transmission through lead of cesium 137 radiation scattered at

the indicated angles from an oblique concrete barrier [4].

33
FIGURE 9. Relation between amount of radium, distance, and shielding for
controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

FIGURE 10. Relation between amount of radium, distance, and shielding for
controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

34
 RADIUM, mg

FIGURE 11. Relation between amount of radium, distance, and shielding for
controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

FIGURE 12. Relation between amount of cobalt 60 or Rhm, distance, and shield¬
ing for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

35
FIGURE 13. Relation between amount of coba lt 60 or Rhm, distance, and shield¬
ing for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.
DISTANCE FROM COBALT-60, METERS

FIGURE 14. Relation between amount of cobalt 60 or Rhm, distance, and shield¬
ing for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

36
 FROM CESIUM-137, METERS
DISTANCE

FlGtJRE 15. Relation between amount of cesium 137 or Rhm, distance, and
shielding for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

37
 100
CESIUM-137 SOURCE

FIGURE 16. Relation between amount of cesium 137 or Rhm, distance, and
shielding for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

FIGURE 17. Relation between amount of cesium 137 or Rhm, distance, and
shielding for controlled areas to reduce exposure to 0.1 R per UO h.

38
 Appendix C. Tables of General X-Ray Information
(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard
N543, General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma Ray Sources, Energies up
to 10 MeV.)
Some of the tables included in this appendix and in appendix
D (tables 12, 15A, and 15B) refer to a protective tube housing,
which is defined as a tube housing so constructed that the leak¬
age radiation at a distance of one meter from the target does
not exceed one roentgen in one hour when the tube is operated
at its maximum rating. The leakage radiation should be aver¬
aged over an area of 100 cm2.

Table 9. Distance 'protection (in feet) against useful beam in controlled

areas
[For design purposes only, the maximum permissible exposure is taken to be 100 mR/wk.]

Kilovoltage 50 70 100 250 1,000 2,000

X-ray output (Ko) (R/ma- 0.05 0.1 0.4 2 20 280

min at 1 m)

WUTB Distance in feet

2..__ 3 5 9 20 60 200
4_ 5 7 13 28 76 270
7___ 6 9 17 37 105 335
8.____ 7 10 19 40 115 350
12.... 8 12 23 47 130 415
15..... 9 13 25 52 145 450
30..... 12 17 35 69 190 550
50... 15 22 44 85 230 650
60..... 16 24 47 92 240 700
125... 22 33 62 120 320 850
150... 24 35 66 130 335 880
200___ 27 38 75 140 375 950
250.... 30 42 80 155 400 1,000
500.... 40 55 100 200 500 1,150
600___ 42 58 107 210 530 1,200
800.... 47 65 120 235 570 1,275
1,000___ 50 70 130 250 600 1,350
2,000___ 62 85 165 310 720 1,500
2,500___ 69 90 175 330 760 1,575
4,000__ 75 102 200 370 850 1,700
10,000__ 95 130 250 480 1,030 1,950
40,000....___ 125 180 350 640 1,300 2, 350

a W=workload in milliampere-minutes per week.

(7= use factor.
T= occupancy factor.

39
 Table 10. Distance protection {in feet) against useful beam in areas
outside of controlled areas (environs)
[For design purposes only, the maximum permissible exposure is taken to be 10 mR/wk.]

Kilovoltage 50 70 100 250 1,000 2.000

X-ray output (Ko) (R/ma- 0.05 0.1 0.4 2 20 280

min at 1 m)

WUT» Distance in feet

2..... 11 15 30 50 160 480

4..._. 15 20 38 77 220 590
7...... 18 25 50 95 255 690
8...... 20 27 52 100 270 720
12. .... 23 31 60 116 310 800
15___ 25 35 65 127 340 850
30__ 32 45 85 165 430 1,000
50- .... 38 55 102 195 510 1,150
60. ... 40 59 110 210 530 1,200
125.. 53 78 140 265 670 1,400
150.. 56 84 150 280 700 1,450
200.„... 62 95 165 310 750 1,550
250... 65 102 175 330 800 1,600
500..__ 85 130 220 400 940 1,800
600..... 90 145 232 420 990 1,850
800. .... 100 150 250 460 1,050 1,920
1,000. 110 160 270 490 1,100 2,000
2,000...... 135 200 330 570 1,250 2,150
2,500. 145 210 345 600 1,300 2, 200
4,000... 165 240 375 650 1,400 2, 300
10,000...... 210 300 460 750 1,550 2, 550
40,000___ 280 390 580 900 1,750 2, 850

a[p=WOrkload in milliampere-minutes per week.

C7=use factor.
occupancy factor.

Table 11. Half-value and tenth-value layers

Approximate values obtained at high attenuation for the indicated peak voltage values under broad-
beam conditions; with low attenuation these values will be significantly less.

Attenuating Material

Peak Voltage (kV) Lead (mm) Concrete (in.) Steel (in.)

HVL TVL HVL TVL HVL TVL

50_j 0.05 0.16 0.17 0.6

70_] 0.15 0.5 0.33 1.1
100_j 0.24 0.8 0.6 2.0
125_ 0.27 0.9 0.8 2.6
150_ 0.29 0.95 0.88 2.9
200_ 0.48 1.6 1.0 3.3
250__ 0.9 3.0 1.1 3.7
300_ 1.4 4.6 1.23 4.1
400_ 2.2 7.3 1.3 4.3
500_ 3.6 11.9 1.4 4.6
1,000_ 7.9 26 1.75 5.8
2,000_ 12.7 42 2.5 8.3
3,000_ 14.7 48.5 2.9 9.5
4,000_ 16.5 54.8 3.6 12.0 1.08 3.6
6,000... 17.0 56.6 4.1 13.7 1.2 4.0
10,000_ 16.5 55.0 4.6 15.3

Cesium-137 _ 6.5 21.6 1.9 6.2 0.64 2.1

Cobalt-60. 12 40 2.45 8.1 0.82 2.7
Radium.. ... ... __ 16.6 55 2.7 9.2 0.88 2.9

[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

40
TABLE 12. Secondary barrier requirements for leakage radiation
from protective tube housings for controlled areas
[Add 3.3 hvl for environs]

Operating time in hours per week

1
Distance from
target in feet 2 5 10 15 25 40

Number of half-value layers

3_ 4.0 5.9 0.9 7.5 8.2 8.9

4_ 3.8 5.1 0.1 6.7 7.4 8.1
5_ 3.2 4.5 5.5 0.1 0.8 7.4
6_ _ 2.0 3.9 4.9 5.5 0.3 7.0
7_ 2.2 3.5 4.5 5.1 5.8 0.5
8_ 1.8 3. 1 4.1 4.7 5.4 0.1
9_ 1.5 2.8 3.7 4.3 5.1 5.8
10_ 1.2 2.5 3.5 4.0 4.8 5.5
12_ 0.0 1.9 2.9 3.5 4.3 4.9
15_ 0.2 1.3 2.3 2.9 3.0 4.3
20.. 0.5 1.5 2.0 2.8 3.5
30_ 0.3 0.9 1.6 2.3

41
 Table 13. Densities of commercial building materials

Average density a
Material
g/cm3 lb/ft3

2.7 169

Bricks:
2.05 128
2.1 131
Silica_ _ _ _ ______ _ 1.78 111

Clay_ _ _ _ . _ __ 2.2 137

Cements:
1.95 122
Plain (1 Portland cement: 3 sand mixture) 2.07 129

Concretes:
3.5 218
3.25 203
3.25 203
Barytes-lumnite-colemaniteb . . 3.1 194
6.0 375
MO (ORNL mixture) . . 5.8 362
Portland (1 cement: 2 sand: 4 gravel) 2.2 137

Glass:
Borosilicate . . _ _ 2.23 139
Lead (hi-D) _ _ ...... _ _ . 6.4 399
Plate (avg.) _ . 2.4 150

Iron. . . ... . . . . . 7.86 491

Lead. ... ... . .. . _ 11.34 708

Lucite (polymethyl methacrylate) 1.19 74

Rocks:
Granite .... . 2.45 153
Limestone__ . .. 2.91 182
Sandstone 2.40 150

Sand 2.2 137

Sand plaster . _ _ ___ . 1.54 96

Type 347 stainless steel . ... ...... 7.8 487

Steel (1% carbon). ______ _ _ __ _ _ ... 7.83 489

Uranium .... 18.7 1,167

Uranium hydride. . . 11.5 718

Water _ _ ... . _ _ . _ ... __ . ._ 1.0 62

a Compiled from data in Ref. [26],

b Concrete mixtures for shielding reported by R. B. Gallaher and A S. Kitzes, Summary Report on
Portland Cement Concretes for Shielding, USAEC Report ORNL-1414, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
March 2,1953.

42
 TABLE 14. Commercial lead sheets

Weight in pounds for a

Thickness
1 square foot section

Millimeter Nominal Actual

Inches
equivalent weight weight

y«< 0.40 1 0.92

3/l28 0.60 IV2 1.38
V32 0.79 2 1.85
S/l28 1.00 2Vs 2.31
3/64 1.19 3 2.76
7/l28 1.39 3Vs 3.22
_ 1.50 — 3.48
Vie 1.58 4 3.69
5/64 1.98 5 4.60
3/32 2.38 6 5.53
_ 2.5 _ 5.80
_ 3.0 — 6.98
Vs 3.17 8 7.38
S/32 3.97 10 9.22
3/l6 4.76 12 11.06
7/32 5.55 14 12.9
V4 6.35 16 14.75
Vs 8.47 20 19.66
2/s 10.76 24 23.60
V2 12.70 30 29.50
2/3 16.93 40 39.33
1 25.40 60 59.00

Notes:
1. The density of commercially rolled lead is 11.36 g/cm3.
2. The commercial tolerances are ± 0.005 inches for lead
up to 7/i28 and ±¥32 for heavier sheets.
3. It should be noted that lead sheet less than V32 inch
thick is frequently more expensive than heavier sheet in
cost of material and cost of installation.
*Permission: Lead Industries Association, Inc., 292 Madison
Ave., New York.
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

Appendix D. X-Ray Shielding Tables for Controlled

Areas and Environs
(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard
N543, General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma Ray Sources, Energies up
to 10 MeV.)

43
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45
 TABLE 16. Shielding requirements for 1 MV x-ray installations

WTJTa in mA min/week Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target)

to occupied area

4,000_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
2,000_ 10 14 20 28 40
1,000_ 10 14 20 28 40
500_ : 7 10 14 20 28 40
250_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
125_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
62.5_ 7 10 14 20 28

Type of area Material Primary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled- _ Lead, mm b. _ 130 122 114 107 99 91 84 76 68 60 52

Noncontrolled Lead, mm b__ 155 147 140 132 124 117 110 101 94 86 78

Controlled Concrete, inc 32 31 29 27 25 23 22 19.5 18 16.5 15

Noncontrolled Concrete, inc . 38 36 35 33 31 29 28 26 24 22 21

Secondary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled ___ Lead, mm b__ 45 36 28 21 16 10 5 2 0 0 0

Noncontrolled Lead, mm b 71 63 55 47 39 31 24 18 12 5 0

Controlled Concrete, inc_ 14.5 13.0 11.5 10.0 8.5 7.0 5.5 4.0 2.5 1.0 0
Noncontrolled_ Concrete, in'_ 19.5 18.0 16.5 15.0 13.5 12.0 10.5 9.0 7.5 6.0 4.5

•' W—workload in mA min/week, U—use factor, T— occupancy factor.

b See Table 14 for conversion of thickness in millimeters to inches or to surface density.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
TFrom NCRP Report No. 34.]

TABLE 17. Shielding requirement for 2 MV x-ray installations

WUT a in mA min/week Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target)

to occupied area

2,000 7 10 14 20 28 40
1,000_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
500_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
250_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
125_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
62.5_ 10 14 20 28 40
31.5_ 7 10 14 20 28

Type of area Material Primary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled __ Lead, mm b 237 224 211 199 186 173 160 147 134 121 108
Noncontrolled . Lead, mm b 280 267 254 241 228 215 203 190 177 164 152

Controlled- Concrete, in c_ 50 47 45 42 40 37 35 32 30 27.0 25

Noncontrolled.- Concrete, in 1 58 56 53 51 48 46 43 41 38 36 33

Secondary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled Lead, mm b 67 55 44 32 20 13 8 5 2 0 0
Noncontrolled Lead, mm 11 106 94 82 71 59 47 36 24 14 7 0

Controlled. . Concrete, inc 16 14 12 10 8.2 7 5 2 0 0 0

Noncontrolled Concrete, inc 22 20 18 16 14 12.5 10.5 9 7 5.5 3.5

a IT—workload in mA min/week, U—use factor, T—occupancy factor.

bSee Table 14 for conversion of thickness in millimeters to inches or to surface density.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

46
 TABLE 18. Shielding requirements for 3 MV x-ray installations

WUTa in mA min/week Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target)

to occupied area

2,000_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
1,000 _ 7 10 14 20 28 40
500_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
250_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
125_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
62.5_ 7 10 14 20 28 40
31.5_ 7 10 14 20 28

Type of area Material Primary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled Lead, mm b. __ 308 294 279 265 250 235 220 205 190 175 160
Noncontrolled Lead, mm h _ _ 360 343 328 313 298 284 269 254 240 225 210

Controlled Concrete, in'' 64 61 58 55 53 50 47 44 41 38 35

Noncontrolled_. Concrete, in0 73 71 68 65 62 59 56 53 51 48 45

Secondary shielding barrier thickness

Controlled Lead, mm b - 93 78 63 48 34 22 14 9 6 3 0
Noncontrolled Lead, mm b 143 128 113 98 83 68 53 38 23 8 0

Controlled __ Concrete, in'_ 19.3 16.8 14.5 12.5 10.8 9.0 7.4 5.8 4.0 0 0
Noncontrolled _ Concrete, in ‘ 29 26 23 20.3 17.5 14.8 12.1 9.4 6.7 4.0 0

a W—workload in raA min/week, U — use factor, T-occupancy factor.

bSee Table 14 for conversion of thickness in millimeters to inches or to surface density.
‘ Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft').
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

TABLE 19. Shielding requirements for 1+ MV x-ray installations for

controlled areas a

WUTb in R/ Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target) to

week at 1 occupied area
meter

160,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
80,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
40,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
20,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
10,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28
5,000_ 5 7 10 14 20
2,500_ 5 7 10 14

Ratios
TVL
Type of inches Lead Steel Thickness of concrete in inches'
Protective of to to
barrier concrete con¬ con¬
crete crete

Primary_ 11.4 .189 .315 66.5 63.1 59.8 56.1 52.9 49.4 46.1 42.5 39.1 37.5

Secondary
Leakage d
0.1%_ .189 .315 32.3 28.9 25.6 21.9 18.7 15.2 11.9 8.3 4.9 1.5
Scatter
30°_ 8.8 36.2 33.4 30.7 27.8 25.0 22.2 19.4 16.4 13.7 10.9
45°_ 7.7 30.9 28.3 25.8 23.1 20.6 17.9 15.4 12.8 10.2 7.6
60°_ 7.4 26.8 24.4 22.2 19.7 17.4 15.0 12.6 10.2 7.9 5.5
90°_ 7.0 20.9 18.8 16.6 14.6 12.5 10.4 8.3 6.1 4,1 2.0
135°_ 5.8 15.7 14.0 12.3 10.5 9.0 7.2 5.6 3.8 2.2 0.5

a For a weekly design level of 100 mR; add one tenth-value layer (TVL) for noncontrolled areas, to reduce
to lOmR/week.
* IP—workload in R/week at 1 m, U— use factor, T—occupancy factor.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
d Leakage radiation of tube housing.
[From NCRP Report No. 34.1

47
TABLE 20. Shielding requirements for 6 MV x-ray installations for controlled
areas a

WUTb in Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target)

R/week to occupied area
at 1 meter

160,000 _ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
80,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
40,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
20,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
10,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28
5,000 _ 5 7 10 14 20
2.500 _ 5 7 10 14

TVL Ratios
Type of Inches
protective of Lead Steel Thickness of concrete in inchesc
barrier concrete to to
concrete concrete

Primary 13.7 .163 .292 80.0 75.9 71.8 67.7 63.6 59.5 55.3 51.2 47.0 42.9

Secondary
Leakage d
0.1% _ 13.7 .163 .292 38.9 34.8 30.7 26.6 22.5 18.4 14.3 10.2 6.1 2.0
Scatter
30°_ 10.5 38.5 35.3 32.3 29.2 26.0 22.9 19.7 16.5 13.4 10.2
45°_ 9.2 28.4 25.6 22.8 20.1 17.3 14.5 11.8 9.0 6.2 3.4
60°_ 8.0 22.9 20.5 18.1 15.7 13.3 10.9 8.4 6.0 3.6 1.2
90°_ 7.0 .049 .250 18.3 16.2 14.1 12.0 9.9 7.8 5.7 3.6 1.5 0
135°_ 5.7 14.1 12.4 10.6 8.9 7.2 5.4 3.6 1.9 0 0

a For a weekly design level of 100 mR; add one tenth-value layer (TVL) for noncontrolled areas, to re¬
duce to 10 mR/week.
b W— workload in R/week at 1 m, U— use factor, T— occupancy factor.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
rt Leakage radiation of tube housing.
(From NCRP Report No. 34.]

TABLE 21. Shielding requirements for 10 MV x-ray installations for

controlled areas a

WUT b in R/week Distance in feet from source (x-ray tube target)

at 1 meter to occupied area

160,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
80,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40 56
40,000_ 5 10 14* 20 28 40
20,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28 40
10,000_ 5 7 10 14 20 28
5,000_ 5 7 10 14 20
2,500_ 5 10 14

Ratio
Type of protective TVL
barrier Inches of Lead Thickness of concrete in inches c
concrete to
concrete

Primary _ . __ 15.3 .141 89.3 84.7 80.1 75.5 70.8 66.2 61.6 57.0 52.4 47.8

Secondary
Leakage d 0.1% 15.3 .141 43.4 38.8 34.2 29.6 24.9 20.3 15.7 11.1 6.5 1.9

a For a weekly design level of 100 mR; add one tenth-value layer (TVL) for noncontrolled areas, to
reduce to 10 mR/week.
b IF—workload in R/week at 1 m, U—use factor, T— occupancy factor.
c Thickness based on concrete density of 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3).
d Leakage radiation of tube housing.
Note: Based on Bly and Burrill, Symposium-Non-destructive Testing in Missile Industry, Special
Technical Publication 278, American Society for Testing and Materials (1959).
[From NCRP Report No. 34.J

48
Appendix E. Determination of X-Ray Shielding
Barrier Thicknesses
(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard
N543, General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-
Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma Ray Sources, Energies up
to 10 MeV.)
The thickness of shielding barrier necessary to reduce the
exposure rate from any x-ray machine to the maximum permis¬
sible level depends upon the quality of the radiation, the
quantity being produced in some chosen period of thne, the
distance from the tube to the occupied area, the degree and
nature of the occupancy, the type of area, and the material
of which the barrier is constructed. Tables 15 through 21,
appendix D, give the thicknesses of lead required under a wide
variety of conditions which are commonly met. Occasionally
conditions may be encountered which are not covered by the
tables. The necessary barrier thickness may then be computed
by the use of equations 1 to 5 and the curves shown in figures
18 to 24 of this appendix.

COMPUTATION OF PRIMARY SHIELDING BARRIER

THICKNESSES

By definition, primary shielding barriers protect against

the radiation of the useful beam. It has been found experi¬
mentally that the transmission of x-rays through thick barriers
is closely related to the peak operating potential of the x-ray
tube. The filtration added to the useful beam in an x-ray
machine is always small in comparison with the attenuation
afforded by the barrier, and hence the barrier thickness re¬
quired at a given kilovoltage is essentially independent of any
changes in half-value-layer caused by added filtration in the
machine. Thus, it is sufficient, for the purposes of protection
calculations, to establish transmission curves specified in kilo¬
volts under conditions of minimum added filtration. It has
also been found that at any given kilovoltage and with min¬
imum added filtration the exposure rate produced by any x-
ray machine is nearly a constant when expressed in terms of
roentgens per milliampere-minute at a distance of 1 m.
Figures 18 through 22 show the exposure rate measured in
roentgens per milliampere-minute at a distance of 1 m from
the target of the x-ray tube which would be transmitted
through barriers of various thicknesses. The ordinate of the
figures, given the symbol K, is the transmitted exposure per
milliampere-minute at a reference distance of 1 m. The abscissa
is the thickness of absorbing material required to give the
desired value of K. Families of curves are shown for various

49
kilovoltages and absorbing materials. In order to calculate
the required barrier thickness for any set of parameters,
it is only necessary to determine the allowed value of K and
then to find the corresponding thickness on the appropriate
kilovoltage curve for the barrier material which is to be used.
The value of K will depend first of all on the maximum permis¬
sible dose which is to be used. For design purposes only, this
may be taken to be 100 mR/week for controlled areas and
10 mR/week for environs. Secondly, it will depend upon the
workload ('W), use factor (£7), occupancy factor (T), and the
distance (d) from the target to the area of interest. The smaller
the product of WUT and the greater the distance, the larger
the permitted value of K. Larger WUT values and shorter
distances will result in smaller values for K.

The relation between these variables may be expressed by

the equation.

WUT ’ v '
where

P = Maximum permissible dose equivalent

0.1 R/week for controlled areas
0.01 R/week for environs
d = distance in meters. (If distance in feet is used, this be¬
comes d\ 3.28.)
W = workload in mA-min/week. (This should, insofar as possible,
be averaged over a period of at least several months and
preferably a year.
U = use factor.
T = occupancy factor. (See table 2 of appendix A for suggested
values.)

Example:

Find the primary shielding barrier thickness necessary to

protect a controlled area 32.8 ft from the target of an x-ray
machine operating at a maximum energy of 100 kVp. The wall
in question has a use factor of V4, the workload is estimated
to average 1,000 mA-min/week, and the occupancy factor of
the area to be protected is 1.

P = 0.1 R/week
d = 32.8/3.28 = 10
W= 1,000
U= 1/4
T = 1.

50
Therefore,
0.1 x 100
K= 0.04
1,000 x y4 x i

Reference to figures 18 and 19 shows that the required barrier

thickness is 0.4-mm lead or IV2 in of concrete.
Attention should be given at this point to the amount of
protection which may be supplied by the structural materials
of the wall. Often these appreciably attenuate the radiation
and can be considered as fulfilling at least part of the barrier
requirements. Unfortunately, there are few detailed attenua¬
tion data for these materials (12), but to a first approximation,
their concrete equivalents5 may be calculated on the basis of
density alone. Concrete equivalent in inches is equal to the
density of the material in question multiplied by the thickness
of the material in inches and divided by 2.35. When these ma¬
terials are of higher atomic number than concrete, this approxi¬
mation tends to underestimate the concrete equivalent (i.e.,
the result is somewhat more shielding than is needed). Table
13 in appendix C lists some common building materials and
their average densities.
For example, we may assume in the problem just given that
there is already 1.0 in of sand plaster in the wall. Reference
to table 13 shows that this material has an average density
of 1.54 g/cm3, making a concrete equivalent of 0.65 in already
present. The remaining protection requirement of 0.85 in of
concrete is shown in table 11, appendix C, to be just slightly
more than 1 HVL for 100 kVp highly filtered radiation. Thus,
the addition of 0.3 mm of lead would amply take care of the
situation.

COMPUTATION OF SECONDARY SHIELDING BARRIERS

Again by definition, secondary shielding barriers are those
exposed only to leakage and scattered radiation. Obviously,
the use factor for these radiations is always one. Since these
radiations may be of considerably different qualities, their
barrier requirements must be computed separately. Further¬
more, as the qualities and other factors differ greatly under
various combinations of circumstances, there is no single
method of computation that is always wholly satisfactory.
However, for first approximations, the following rules may be
used as guides.
LEAKAGE RADIATION. The number of HVUs required
in the secondary barrier for leakage radiation alone depends
upon: (1) the operating potential of the tube; (2) the weekly

■’Concrete equivalent is defined as the thickness of concrete of density 2.35 g/cm3 (147 lb/ft3) affording the
same attenuation, under specified conditions, as the material in question.

51
operating* time of the tube; (3) the distance from the tube to
the occupied area; (4) the nature and degree of occupancy; and
(5) whether the area in question is a controlled area. The maxi¬
mum amount of leakage radiation allowed through a protective
tube housing is 1 R at 1 m in any 1 h. Thus, the workload is
measured only in terms of the average number of hours of
actual operating time per week. Table 11 in appendix C gives
representative HVL thicknesses for lead and concrete for
various kilovoltages. Table 12 gives the number of HVL’s
necessary to reduce the exposure rate to the required degree
for various weekly operating times and various distances for
both controlled areas and environs. The required barrier thick¬
ness for leakage radiation alone may be found simply by deter¬
mining the number of HVL’s necessary to reduce the exposure
rate to the permissible level for the given distance and oper¬
ating time and multiplying this number by the thickness of
the HVL of lead or concrete for the given kilovoltage. As men¬
tioned before, if building materials other than concrete are
used, the necessary thickness may be computed on the basis
of their concrete equivalents.
SCATTERED RADIATION. The amount and energy of the
scattered radiation depend on a large number of factors. These
include the incident exposure rate, the cross-sectional area of
the beam at the irradiated object, the absorption in the object,
the angle of scattering and the operating potential of the x-ray
tube. However, in shielding design certain simplifications can
be made. For x-rays generated at potentials below 500 kV
Compton scattering does not greatly degrade the photon energy
and the scattering object also acts as an absorber for the lower
energy photons. For design purposes the 90° scattered radiation
generated from a useful beam produced at a potential of less
than 500 kV, may be assumed to have the same average energy
as the useful beam. Consequently, the transmission curve
for the useful beam may be used in determining necessary
barrier thickness. In the energy range from 0.5 to 3 MeV, the
90° scattered radiation is, to a first approximation, equal in
energy distribution to x-rays generated by potentials of 500
kV regardless of the kilovoltage of the useful beam. Therefore,
in this higher voltage range, the 500 kVcp transmission curve
may be used in the calculation of the secondary barrier thick¬
ness. It has been shown that the amount of 90° scattered radia¬
tion is approximately 0.1 percent of that incident upon the
scatterer. Thus, a K value 1,000 times greater may be allowed
for scattered radiation than for that of the useful beam. How¬
ever, the exposure rate at a fixed distance increases with the
x-ray kilovoltage. Therefore, in order to use the 500 kVcp curve
for the scattered radiation, K must be decreased by a factor
of 20 for 1,000 kVcp radiation, by 120 for 2,000 kVcp, and by
300 for 3,000 kVcp.

52
 Equation (1) may, therefore, be used for the computation of
secondary barriers subject to the following modifications:
(a). For scattered radiation from useful beams generated
at 500 kVcp or below,

1,000 x P X d2
(Use curve for kV of useful beam).
K~ WT
(2)6 7

(b). For scattered radiation from useful beams generated at

1,000 kVcp,
1 000 X P X r72
K= 20 WT (Use 500 kVcp curve)‘ (3)?

(c). For scattered radiation from useful beams generated at

2,000 kVcp,

K = 1,QQ1°2qwT d ^Use 500 kVcp curve)‘ (4)7

(d) For scattered radiation from useful beams generated

at 3,000 kVcp,

1 000 X P X d2

K= 300 WT (Use 500 kVcp CUrVeX (5)?

If the barrier thicknesses for leakage and scattered radia¬

tions are found to be approximately the same, 1 HVL should
be added to the larger one to obtain the required total second¬
ary barrier thickness. If the two differ by a large enough factor
(this situation is assumed to exist if there is a difference of at
least 3 HVL1 s), the thicker of the two will be adequate.

6If a 50-cm target-object distance is used, divide K by 4.

7 If a 70-cm target-object distance is used, divide by 2.

53
FIGURE 18. Attenuation in lead of x rays produced by potentials of 50- to 200-
kV peak.
The measurements were made with a 90° angle between the electron beam and the axis of the x-ray
beam and with a pulsed waveform. The curves at 50 and 70 kVp were obtained by interpolation and ex¬
trapolation of available data. The filtrations were 0.5 mm of aluminum for 50, 70,100, and 125 kVp, and#
mm of aluminum for 150 and 200 kVp [2].

54
FIGURE 19. Attenuation in concrete of x rays produced by potentials of 50 to
1*00 kV.
The measurements were made with a 90° angle between the electron beam and the axis of the x-ray
beam. The curves for 50 to 300 kVp are for a pulsed waveform. The filtrations were 1 mm of aluminum
for 70 kVp, 2 mm of aluminum for 100 kVp, and 3 mm of aluminum for 125 to 300 kVp (Trout et al., 1959)
[11]. The 400-kVcp curve was interpolated from data obtained with a constant potential generator and
inherent filtration of approximately 3 mm of copper (Miller and Kennedy, 1955) [8] [2].

55
FIGURE 20. Attenuation in lead of x rays produced by potentials of250 to UOO kV.
The measurements were made with a 90° angle between the electron beam and the axis of the x-ray
beam. The 250-kVp curve is for a pulsed waveform and a filtration of 3 mm of aluminum. The 400-kVcp
curve was obtained with a constant potential generator and inherent filtration of approximately 3 mm of
copper (Miller and Kennedy, 1955) [8]. The 300-kVp curve is for pulsed waveform and 3 mm of aluminum
(Trout et al., 1959) [11] [2].

56
FIGURE 21. Attenuation in lead of x rays produced by potentials of 0.5 to 3 MV
constant potential.
The measurements were made with a 0° angle between the electron beam and the axis of the x-ray
beam with a constant potential generator. The 0.5 and 1 MV curves were obtained with filtration of 2.88
mm of tungsten, 2.8 mm of copper, 2.1 mm of brass, and 18.7 mm of water (Wyckoff et al., [13]). The 2 MV
curve was obtained by extrapolating to broad-beam conditions (E. E. Smith) the data of Evans et al.,
[3]. The inherent filtration was equivalent to 6.8 mm of lead. The 3 MV curve has been obtained by inter¬
polation of the 2 MV curve given herein, and the data of Miller and Kennedy [9].

[Data courtesy of the authors, Radiation Research, Radiology and Academic Press.]

57
FIGURE 22. Attenuation in concrete of x rays produced by potentials of 0.5 to
3 MV constant potential.
The measurements were made with a 0° angle between the electron beam and the axis of the x-ray
beam and with a constant potential generator. The 0.5 and 1 MV curves were obtaind with filtration of
2.8 mm of copper, 2.1 mm of brass, and 18.7 mm of water (Wyckoff et al. [13]). [Data courtesy of the authors
and Radiology.] The 2 MV curve was obtained by extrapolating to broadbeam conditions (E. E. Smith)
the data of Evans et al. [3]. The inherent filtration was equivalent to 6.8 mm of lead. [Data courtesy of the
authors and Radiology.] The 3 MV curve has been obtained by interpolation of the 2 MV curve given
herein, and the data of Kirn and Kennedy [5]. [From “Betatron X Rays: How Much Concrete for Shielding”
by F. S. Kirn and R. J. Kennedy. Copyright 1954, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Used with
permission of the McGraw-Hill Book Company.]

58
FIGURE 23. Attenuation in lead of x rays produced at U to 10 MV based on
Karzmark and Capone [6], and Miller and Kennedy [.9].
[Data courtesy of the authors, The British Journal of Radiology, Radiation Research and Academic
Press.]
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

FIGURE 24. Attenuation in concrete (density 1U7 Ib/ft3) of x rays produced at 6

and 10 MV (Kirn and Kennedy [5]).
[From “Betatron X Rays: How Much Concrete for Shielding” by F. S. Kirn and R. J. Kennedy. Copy¬
right 1954, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Used with permission of McGraw-Hill Book Company.]
[From NCRP Report No. 34.]

59
 Appendix F. References
(This appendix is not a part of American National Standard N543, General
Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-Medical X-Ray and Sealed Gamma
Ray Sources, Energies up to 10 MeV.)
[1] Braestrup, C. B. and Wyckoff, H. O., Radiation Protection (Charles Thomas,
Publisher, Springfield, Ill., 1958).
[2] NCRP Report No. 34, Medical X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Protection for
Energies up to 10 MeV, March 2, 1970, National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurements.
[3] Evans, W. W., Granke, R. C., Wright, K. A., and Trump, J. G., Absorption
of 2 MeV constant potential roentgen rays by lead and concrete, Radio¬
logy 58, 560 (1952). Curves from this paper were extrapolated to broad-
beam conditions by E. E. Smith, National Physical Laboratory.
[4] Frantz, F. S., Jr., and Wyckoff, H. O., Attenuation of scattered cesium-137
gamma rays, Radiology 73,263 (1959).
[5] Kirn, F. S., and Kennedy, R. J., Betatron x-rays: How much concrete for
shielding, Nucleonics 12,6,44 (1954).
[6] Karzmark, C. J., and Capone, T., Measurements of 6 MV x-rays, Part I,
Primary radiation absorption in lead, steel and concrete, British Journal
of Radiology 41, 33 (1968).
[7] Kirn, F. S., Kennedy, R. J., and Wyckoff, H. O., Attenuation of gamma rays
at oblique incidence, Radiology 63,94 (1954).
[8] Miller, W., and Kennedy, R. J., X-ray attenuation in lead, aluminum, and
concrete in the range 275-525 kV, Radiology 65, 920 (1955).
[9] Miller, W., and Kennedy, R. J., Attenuation of 86- and 176-MeV synchrotron
x-rays in concrete and lead, Radiation Research 4,5,360 (1956).
[10] Mooney, R. T., and Braestrup, C. B., Attenuation of scattered cobalt-60
radiation in lead and building materials, AEC Report NYO 2165 (1957).
[11] Trout, E. D., Kelley, J. P., and Lucas, A. C., Broad beam attenuation in
concrete for 50- to 300-kVp x-rays and in lead for 300-kVp x-rays, Ra¬
diology 72,62 (1959).
[12] Trout, E. D., Kelley, J. P., and Lucas, A. C., Conventional Building Ma¬
terials as Protective Radiation Barriers, Radiology 76, 237 (1961).
[13] Wyckoff, H. O., Kennedy, R. J., and Bradford, W. R., Broad- and narrow-
beam attenuation of 500-1, 400 kV x-rays in lead and concrete, Radiology
51,849 (1948).
[14] Wyckoff, H. O., and Kennedy, R. J., Concrete as a protective barrier for
gamma rays from radium, J. Res. NBS 42,431 (1949) RP1983.
[15] Ritz, V. H., Broad and narrow beam attenuation of Ir192 gamma rays in
concrete, steel, and lead, Non-Destructive Testing 16, 269 (May-June
1958).
[16] ICRU Report No. 20, Radiation Protection Instrumentation and Its Ap¬
plication, October 1, 1971, International Commission on Radiation Units
and Measurements.
[17] National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, Nuclear Data
Sheets (1958).
[18] Background material for the development of radiation protection stand¬
ards, Staff Report #2 of the Federal Radiation Council (1961).
[19] NCRP Report No. 38, Protection Against Neutron Radiation, January 4,
1971, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
[20] NBS Handbook 55, Protection against betatron-synchrotron radiations
up to 100 million electron volts (1954).
[21] NCRP Report No. 39, Basic Radiation Protection Criteria, January 15,
1971, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
[22] NBS Handbook 80, A manual of radioactivity procedures (1961).
[23] ICRU Report No. 19, Radiation Quantities and Units, July 1, 1971, Inter¬
national Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements.
[24] Price, B. T., Horton, C. C., and Spinney, K. T., Radiation Shielding (Perga-
mon Press, New York 10022, 1957). Figure 6.9.3, p. 304.
[25] NCRP Report No. 33, Medical X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Protection for
Energies up to 10 MeV—Equipment Design and Use, February 1, 1968,
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
[26] Reactor Handbook, Vol. I Materials, C. R. Tipton, Jr., editor, (Interscience
Publishers, Inc., New York, 1960).
[27] American National Standard for Concrete Radiation Shields, N101.6-1972.

60
JS-114A (REV. 7-73)

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. l. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. 2. Gov’t Accession 3. Recipient’s Accession No.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA No.
SHEET NBS Handbook 114
TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. Publication Date

General Safety Standard for Installations Using Non-Medical February 1975

X-Ray and Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources, Energies up to 10 MeV 6. Performing Organization Code

AUTHOR(S) 8. Performing Organ. Report No.

Committee N43 (E. H. Eisenhower, Chairman)
PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. Project /Task/Work Unit No.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 11. Contract/Grant No.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

. Sponsoring Organization Name and Complete Address (Street, City, State, ZIP) 13. Type of Report & Period
Covered

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

supplementary NOT es Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-20537

This is an American National Standard, prepared by Standards Committee N43,
for which NBS is the Secretariat.
ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant
bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.)

This standard establishes requirements for the design and operation of common
types of installations which use gamma and x radiation for non-medical purposes.
Its objective is to protect persons who work with or are near such installations,
as well as the general public, against, excessive exposure to radiation. Maxi¬
mum permissible dose limits established by the National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurements are cited. Methods for achieving adequate radiation
protection are described, including structural details, surveys and inspections,
and operating procedures. Appendixes contain technical information useful for
design of radiation shielding barriers.

KEY WORDS (six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper
name; separated by semicolons)

Gamma-ray equipment; radiation installations ; radiation safety ; x-ray equipment.

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