25 Tex. Admin. Code § 289.251
(c) Definitions. The following words and terms when used in this section shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(d) Exemptions for source material.
(3) Any person is exempt from this section and §289.252 of this title to the extent that such person receives, possesses, uses, or transfers:
(A) any quantities of thorium contained in:
(B) source material contained in the following products:
(E) uranium contained in counterweights installed in aircraft, rockets, projectiles, and missiles, or stored or handled in connection with installation or removal of such counterweights, provided that:
(F) natural or depleted uranium used as shielding constituting part of any shipping container, provided that:
(G) thorium or uranium contained in or on finished optical lenses and mirrors, provided that each lens or mirror does not contain more than 10% by weight of thorium or uranium or, for lenses manufactured before August 27, 2013, 30% by weight of thorium; and that the exemption contained in this subparagraph shall not be deemed to authorize either:
(I) thorium contained in any finished aircraft engine part containing nickel-thoria alloy, provided that:
(5) No person may initially transfer for sale or distribution a product containing source material to persons exempt under subsection (d)(3) of this section, Title 10, CFR, §40.13(c), or equivalent regulations of an agreement state, unless authorized by a license issued under Title 10, CFR, §40.52, to initially transfer such products for sale or distribution.
(e) Exemptions for radioactive material other than source material.
(1) Exempt concentrations.
(2) Exempt quantities.
(3) Exempt items.
(A) Certain items containing radioactive material.
(i) Except for persons who apply radioactive material to, or persons who incorporate radioactive material into the following products, or persons who initially transfer for sale or distribution the following products containing radioactive material, any person is exempt from this chapter if that person receives, possesses, uses, transfers, or acquires the following products:
(I) timepieces, hands, or dials containing not more than the following specified quantities of radioactive material and not exceeding the following specified levels of radiation:
(-a-) 25 millicuries (mCi) (925 megabecquerels (MBq)) of tritium per timepiece;
(-b-) 5 mCi (185 MBq) of tritium per hand;
(-c-) 15 mCi (555 MBq) of tritium per dial (bezels when used shall be considered as part of the dial);
(-d-) 100 µCi (3.7 MBq) of promethium-147 per watch or 200 µCi (7.4 MBq) of promethium-147 per any other timepiece;
(-e-) 20 µCi (0.74 MBq) of promethium-147 per watch hand or 40 µCi (1.48 MBq) of promethium-147 per other timepiece hand;
(-f-) 60 µCi (2.22 MBq) of promethium-147 per watch dial or 120 µCi (4.44 MBq) of promethium-147 per other timepiece dial (bezels when used shall be considered as part of the dial);
(-g-) the levels of radiation from hands and dials containing promethium-147 will not exceed, when measured through 50 milligrams per square centimeter (mg/cm2) of absorber:
(-1-) for wrist watches, 0.1 millirad per hour (mrad/hr) at 10 centimeters (cm) from any surface;
(-2-) for pocket watches, 0.1 mrad/hr at 1 cm from any surface; and
(-3-) for any other timepiece, 0.2 mrad/hr at 10 cm from any surface; or
(-h-) 1 µCi (0.037 MBq) of radium-226 per timepiece in intact timepieces manufactured prior to November 30, 2007;
(VII) electron tubes, provided that each tube does not contain more than one of the following specified quantities of radioactive material and that the levels of radiation from each electron tube containing radioactive material do not exceed 1 mrad/hr at 1 cm from any surface when measured through 7 mg/cm2 of absorber (For purposes of this clause, "electron tubes" include spark gap tubes, power tubes, gas tubes including glow lamps, receiving tubes, microwave tubes, indicator tubes, pick-up tubes, radiation detection tubes, and any other completely sealed tube designed to control electrical currents):
(-a-) 150 mCi (5.55 GBq) of tritium per microwave receiver protector tube or 10 mCi (0.37 GBq) of tritium per any other electron tube;
(-b-) 1 µCi (0.037 MBq) of cobalt-60;
(-c-) 5 µCi (0.185 GBq) of nickel-63;
(-d-) 30 µCi (1.11 GBq) of krypton-85;
(-e-) 5 µCi (0.185 GBq) of cesium-137; or
(-f-) 30 µCi (1.11 GBq) of promethium-147;
(VIII) ionizing radiation measuring instruments containing, for purposes of internal calibration or standardization, a source of radioactive material not exceeding:
(-a-) the applicable quantity set forth in subsection (l)(2) of this section or 0.05 µCi (1.85 kilobecquerels (kBq)) of americium-241; and
(-b-) each instrument contains no more than 10 exempt quantities. For purposes of this subclause, an instrument's source(s) shall contain either one type or different types of radionuclides and an individual exempt quantity shall be composed of fractional parts of one or more of the exempt quantities in accordance with subsection (l)(2) of this section, provided that the sum of such fractions shall not exceed unity.
(B) Self-luminous products containing tritium, krypton-85, or promethium-147.
(ii) Any person who desires to manufacture, process, or produce, or initially transfer for sale or distribution self-luminous products containing tritium, krypton-85, or promethium-147 for use under clause (i) of this subparagraph, should apply for:
(C) Gas and aerosol detectors containing radioactive material.
(i) Except for persons who manufacture, process, produce, or initially transfer for sale or distribution gas and aerosol detectors containing radioactive material, any person is exempt from this chapter to the extent that such person receives, possesses, uses, transfers, owns, or acquires radioactive material in gas and aerosol detectors designed to protect health, safety, or property.
(IV) Any person who desires to manufacture, process, or produce, gas and aerosol detectors containing radioactive material, or to initially transfer such products for use under this clause, shall apply for:
(-a-) a specific license to be issued by the NRC in accordance with Title 10, CFR, §32.26; and
(-b-) a certificate of registration to be issued by the NRC in accordance with Title 10, CFR, §32.210.
(D) Certain industrial devices. Except for persons who manufacture, process, produce, or initially transfer for sale or distribution industrial devices containing radioactive material designed and manufactured for the purpose of detecting, measuring, gauging or controlling thickness, density, level, interface location, radiation, leakage, or qualitative or quantitative chemical composition, or for producing an ionized atmosphere, any person is exempt from the requirements of this chapter to the extent that such person receives, possesses, uses, transfers, owns, or acquires radioactive material, in these certain detecting, measuring, gauging, or controlling devices and certain devices for producing an ionized atmosphere.
(iv) Any person who desires to manufacture, process, produce, or initially transfer for sale or distribution industrial devices containing radioactive material for use under this subparagraph, shall apply for:
(4) Exemption for capsules containing carbon-14 urea for "in vivo" diagnostic use in humans.
(f) General licenses. In addition to the requirements of this section, all general licenses, unless otherwise specified, are subject to the requirements of §289.201 of this title (relating to General Provisions for Radioactive Material), §289.202(ww) and (xx) of this title, §289.204 of this title (relating to Fees for Certificates of Registration, Radioactive Material Licenses, Emergency Planning and Implementation, and Other Regulatory Services), §289.205 of this title (relating to Hearing and Enforcement Procedures), and §289.257 of this title (relating to Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material).
(2) Modification, suspension, and revocation of a general license.
(C) Any general license may be revoked, suspended, or modified, in whole or in part, for any of the following:
(3) General licenses for source material.
(A) General license for small quantities of source material.
(i) A general license is hereby issued authorizing commercial and industrial firms, research, educational and medical institutions, and federal, state and local government agencies to receive, possess, use, and transfer uranium and thorium, in their natural isotopic concentrations and in the form of depleted uranium, for research, development, educational, commercial, or operational purposes in the following forms and quantities:
(I) no more than 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) of uranium and thorium in dispersible forms (e.g., gaseous, liquid, powder, etc.) at any one time.
(-a-) Any material processed by the general licensee that alters the chemical or physical form of the material containing source material must be accounted for as a dispersible form.
(-b-) A person authorized to possess, use, and transfer source material as specified in this clause may not receive more than a total of 7 kg (15.4 lb) of uranium and thorium in any 1 calendar year.
(-c-) Persons possessing source material in excess of these limits as of August 27, 2013, may continue to possess up to 7 kg (15.4 lb) of uranium and thorium at any one time until the NRC takes final action on any pending application submitted on or before August 27, 2014, for a specific license for such material; and may receive up to 70 kg (154 lb) of uranium or thorium in any one calendar year until the NRC takes final action on a pending application submitted on or before August 27, 2014, for a specific license for such material; and
(II) no more than a total of 7 kg (15.4 lb) of uranium and thorium at any one time.
(-a-) A person authorized to possess, use, and transfer source material as specified in this clause may not receive more than a total of 70 kg (154 lb) of uranium and thorium in any 1 calendar year.
(-b-) A person may not alter the chemical or physical form of the source material possessed as specified in this clause unless it is accounted for in accordance with the limits of clause (i)(I) of this subparagraph; or
(ii) Any person who receives, possesses, uses, or transfers source material in accordance with the general license in clause (i) of this subparagraph:
(II) shall not abandon such source material. Source material may be disposed of as follows:
(-a-) a cumulative total of 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) of source material in a solid, non-dispersible form may be transferred each calendar year, by a person authorized to receive, possess, use, and transfer source material in accordance with the general license to persons receiving the material for permanent disposal. The recipient of source material transferred in accordance with this item is exempt from the requirements to obtain a license as specified in subsection (f)(3) of this section to the extent the source material is permanently disposed. This provision does not apply to any person who is in possession of source material under a specific license issued under §289.252 of this title; or
(-b-) in accordance with §289.202(ff) of this title;
(D) A general license is issued to receive, acquire, possess, use, or transfer depleted uranium contained in products or devices for the purpose of providing shielding, including beam shaping and collimation, in accordance with clauses (i) - (iv) of this subparagraph.
(ii) Persons who receive, acquire, possess, or use depleted uranium in accordance with the general license in this paragraph shall notify the agency within 30 days after the first receipt of acquisition of such depleted uranium. The general licensee shall furnish the following information and such other information as may be required by the agency:
(iv) A person who receives, acquires, possesses, or uses depleted uranium in accordance with the general license in this paragraph:
(4) General licenses for radioactive material other than source material.
(A) General licenses for static elimination devices and ion generating tubes. A general license is issued to transfer, receive, acquire, possess, and use radioactive material incorporated in the devices or equipment specified in the following clauses (i) and (ii) of this paragraph that have been manufactured, tested, and labeled by the manufacturer in accordance with a specific license issued to the manufacturer by the NRC. In addition to the provisions of subsection (f) of this section, this general license is subject to the provisions of subsection (e)(1)(B) of this section and §289.252(cc) of this title:
(B) General license for luminous safety devices for aircraft.
(i) A general license is issued to receive, acquire, possess, and use tritium or promethium-147 contained in luminous safety devices for use in aircraft, provided:
(D) General license for calibration, stabilization, and reference sources.
(i) A general license is issued to own, receive, acquire, possess, use, and transfer, in accordance with the provisions of clauses (ii) and (iii) of this subparagraph, americium-241, plutonium, and/or radium-226, in the form of calibration, stabilization, or reference sources to any person who holds a specific license issued by the:
(iii) Persons who own, receive, acquire, possess, use, or transfer one or more calibration or reference sources in accordance with these general licenses:
(II) shall not receive, possess, use, or transfer such source unless the source or the storage container bears a label that includes the following statements, or a substantially similar statement that contains the information in the following statements:
(-a-) option 1, as appropriate:
Attached Graphic
(-b-) option 2, as appropriate:
Attached Graphic
(E) General license for ice detection devices.
(ii) Persons who receive, acquire, possess, use, or transfer strontium-90 contained in ice detection devices in accordance with the general license in clause (i) of this paragraph shall do the following:
(F) General license for intrastate transportation of radioactive material.
(G) General license for the use of radioactive material for certain in vitro clinical or laboratory testing, not to include research and development. (The New Drug provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act also govern the availability and use of any specific diagnostic drugs in interstate commerce.)
(i) A general license is issued to any physician, veterinarian, clinical laboratory, or hospital to receive, acquire, possess, transfer, or use, for any of the following stated tests, in accordance with clauses (ii) - (iii) of this subparagraph, the following radioactive materials in prepackaged units:
(ii) A person who receives, acquires, possesses, or uses radioactive material in accordance with the general license in clause (i) of this subparagraph shall comply with the following.
(iii) The general licensee shall not receive, acquire, possess, or use radioactive material in accordance with the general license in clause (i) of this subparagraph:
(II) unless one of the statements in the following figures, as appropriate, or a substantially similar statement that contains the information called for in one of the following statements, appears on a label affixed to each prepackaged unit or appears in a leaflet or brochure that accompanies the package:
(-a-) option 1, as appropriate:
Attached Graphic
(-b-) option 2, as appropriate:
Attached Graphic
(iv) No person shall receive, acquire, possess, use, or transfer radioactive material in accordance with the general license in clause (i) of this subparagraph until that person has filed an application for registration on a form prescribed by the agency and has received from the agency a notification of receipt with an assigned registration number. The applicant shall submit the following information and any other information as may be required by the agency:
(H) General license for certain detecting, measuring, gauging, or controlling devices and certain devices for producing light or an ionized atmosphere.
(ii) The general license in clause (i) of this subparagraph applies only to radioactive material contained in devices that have been manufactured or initially transferred and labeled in accordance with the specifications contained in:
(iv) Any person who receives, acquires, possesses, uses, or transfers radioactive material in a device in accordance with the general license in this subparagraph shall do the following:
(II) assure that the device is tested for leakage of radioactive material and proper operation of the "on-off" mechanism and indicator, if any, at no longer than 6-month intervals or at such other intervals as specified in the label; however:
(-a-) devices containing only krypton need not be tested for leakage of radioactive material; and
(-b-) devices containing only tritium or not more than 100 µCi (3.7 MBq) of other beta and/or gamma emitting material or 10 µCi (0.37 MBq) of alpha emitting material and devices held in storage in the original shipping container prior to initial installation need not be tested for any purpose;
(III) assure that the tests required by subclause (II) of this clause and other testing, installation, servicing, and removal from location of installation involving the radioactive materials, its shielding or containment, are performed:
(-a-) in accordance with the instructions provided by the labels;
(-b-) in accordance with written instructions provided by the manufacturer as specified in §289.252(l)(3) of this title; or
(-c-) by a person holding a specific license from the agency, the NRC, or any agreement state to perform such activities;
(IV) maintain records for inspection by the agency documenting compliance with the requirements of subclauses (II) and (III) of this clause. The records shall include the test results. The records also shall identify the device tested by manufacturer, model and serial number of the device, serial number of the sealed source, and show the dates of performance of and the names of persons performing testing, installation, servicing, and removal from location of installation, of the radioactive material, its shielding or containment. Retention shall be as follows:
(-a-) records for tests for leakage of radioactive material required by subclause (II) of this clause shall be kept for 3 years after the next required leak test is performed or until the sealed source is transferred or disposed of;
(-b-) records of the test of the on-off mechanism and indicator required by subclause (II) of this clause shall be kept for 3 years after the next required test of the on-off mechanism and indicator is performed or until the sealed source is transferred or disposed of; and
(-c-) records of the testing, installation (removal of the manufacturer's lock and initial alignment of the radiation beam), servicing, and removal from location of installation involving the radioactive materials, its shielding or containment required by subclause (III) of this clause shall be kept for 3 years from the date of the recorded event or until the device is transferred or disposed of;
(V) maintain assignment records (utilization records) for portable or mobile devices for inspection by the agency at the location listed in the general license acknowledgement in accordance with subsection (g) of this section. These records shall include:
(-a-) a unique identification (for example, serial number) of each portable or mobile device;
(-b-) the location(s) where each portable or mobile device is assigned; and
(-c-) the date(s) each portable or mobile device is assigned to the location(s) in accordance with item (-b-) of this subclause;
(X) furnish a report to the agency within 30 days after the transfer or export of a device to a specific licensee. The report must contain the following:
(-a-) identification of the device by manufacturer's (or initial transferor's) name, model and serial number;
(-b-) name, address, and license number of the person receiving the device; and
(-c-) date of the transfer;
(XI) obtain written agency approval before transferring the device to any other specific licensee not specifically identified in subclause (IX) of this clause; however, a holder of a specific license may transfer a device for possession and use in accordance with its own specific license without prior approval, if, the holder:
(-a-) verifies that the specific license authorizes the possession and use, or applies for and obtains an amendment to the license authorizing the possession and use;
(-b-) removes, alters, covers, or clearly and unambiguously augments the existing label (otherwise required by clause (iv)(I) of this subparagraph) so that the device is labeled in compliance with §289.202(cc) of this title; however the manufacturer, model number, and serial number must be retained;
(-c-) obtains the manufacturer's or initial transferor's information concerning maintenance that would be applicable under the specific license (such as leak testing procedures); and
(-d-) reports the transfer as specified in subclause (X) of this clause;
(XII) transfer the device to another general licensee only if:
(-a-) the device remains in use at a particular location. In such case, the transferor shall give the transferee a copy of this section and any safety documents identified in the label on the device. Within 30 days of the transfer, the transferor shall report the following to the agency:
(-1-) manufacturer's (or initial transferor's) name;
(-2-) model and serial number of the device transferred;
(-3-) transferee's name and mailing address for the location of use; and
(-4-) name, title, and phone number of the responsible individual identified by the transferee in accordance with subclause (XIII) of this clause to have knowledge of and authority to take actions to ensure compliance with the appropriate regulations and requirements; or
(-b-) the device is held in storage by an intermediate person in the original shipping container at its intended location of use prior to initial use by a general licensee;
(XV) not hold devices that are not in use for longer than 24 months following the last principal activity use.
(-a-) If devices with shutters are not being used, the shutter shall be locked in the closed position. The testing required by clause (iv) of this subparagraph need not be performed during the period of storage only. However, when devices are put back into service or transferred to another person, and have not been tested within the required test interval, they shall be tested for leakage before use or transfer and the shutter tested before use.
(-b-) Devices kept in standby for future use are excluded from the 24-month time limit if the agency approves a plan for future use submitted by the licensee. Licensees shall submit plans at least 30 days prior to the end of the 24 months of nonuse.
(-c-) The general licensee shall perform quarterly physical inventories of these devices while they are in standby. The licensee shall make, maintain, and retain for intervals of 5 years, records of the quarterly physical inventories for inspection by the agency;
(K) General license for certain items and self-luminous products containing radium-226.
(i) A general license is hereby issued to any person to acquire, receive, possess, use, or transfer radium-226 contained in the following products manufactured prior to November 30, 2007.
(iii) Any person who acquires, receives, possesses, uses, or transfers radioactive material in accordance with this subparagraph shall do the following.
(II) Not abandon products containing radium-226.
(-a-) The product, and any radioactive material from the product, may only be disposed of according to §289.202 of this title or as otherwise approved by the agency.
(-b-) The product, and any radioactive material from the product, may be transferred to a person authorized by a specific license to receive the radium-226 or as otherwise approved by the agency.
(g) General license acknowledgements for radioactive material other than source material. In addition to the requirements of this section, all general license acknowledgement holders, unless otherwise specified, are subject to the requirements of §§289.201, 289.202(ww) and (xx), 289.204, 289.205, and 289.257 of this title.
(1) Persons possessing a general license for devices in accordance with subsection (f)(4)(H) of this section and being in the possession of radioactive material in devices containing at least 370 MBq (10 mCi) of cesium-137, 3.7 MBq (0.1 mCi) of strontium-90, 37 MBq (1 mCi) of cobalt-60, 3.7 MBq (0.1 mCi) of radium-226, 37 MBq (1 mCi) of americium-241, or any transuranic (for example, element with atomic number greater than uranium (92)), based on the activity indicated on the label on the device, shall file an application for acknowledgement within 30 days of receipt, acquisition, or possession of such a device. The application shall be on a form prescribed by the agency to include the following information and any other information specifically requested by the agency:
(h) Issuance of general license acknowledgements.
(2) The agency may incorporate in any general license acknowledgement at the time of issuance, or thereafter by amendment, additional requirements and conditions with respect to the licensee's receipt, possession, use, and transfer of radioactive material subject to this section as the agency deems appropriate or necessary in order to:
(i) Specific terms and conditions.
(4) The notification in paragraph (3) of this subsection shall include:
(j) Termination of general license acknowledgements.
(2) Each holder of a general license acknowledgement shall, no less than 30 days before vacating or relinquishing possession of control of premises that have been used as a place of storage or use of radioactive material as a result of general licensed activities, notify the agency in writing of intent to vacate and do the following:
(k) Amendment of general license acknowledgements.
(l) Appendices.
Source Note:The provisions of this §289.251 adopted to be effective September 1, 2004, 29 TexReg 7396; amended to be effective May 1, 2008, 33 TexReg 3417; amended to be effective February 18, 2010, 35 TexReg 1223; amended to be effective March 22, 2015, 40 TexReg 1386; amended to be effective March 1, 2016, 41 TexReg 1444; amended to be effective September 24, 2018, 43 TexReg 6289.