R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1.3-1

Current through 2024 Public Law 457

Section 23-1.3-1 - Definitions

When used in this chapter:

(1) "Artificially produced radioactive material" means any radioactive material other than by-product material, special nuclear material, and source material which is produced by any unnatural process such as through the bombardment of material with high energy atomic particles.

(2) "By-product material" means any radioactive material except special nuclear material yielded in or made radioactive by exposure to the radiation incident to the process of producing or utilizing special nuclear material.

(3) "Department" means the department of health.

(4) "Electronic product" means any manufactured product or device or component part of a product or device that has an electronic circuit which during operation can generate or emit a physical field of radiation.

(5) "General license" means a license effective pursuant to regulations promulgated by the state radiation control agency without the filing of an application to transfer, acquire, own, possess, or use quantities of, or devices of equipment utilizing, by-product, source, special nuclear materials, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially. The agency may require notification of possession of generally licensed materials.

(6) "Naturally occurring radioactive material" means any radioactive material that is not otherwise defined in this section and whose origin is wholly the result of natural processes.

(7) "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency, political subdivision of this state, any other state or political subdivision or agency of any other state, and any legal successor, representative, agent or agency of these, and other than federal government agencies licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor to the commission.

(8) "Radiation" means:

(i) Ionizing radiation including gamma rays, x-rays, alpha particles, beta particles, and other atomic or nuclear particles or rays; and

(ii) Any electromagnetic radiation that can be generated during the operation of a microwave oven.

(9) "Radiation source" means any material or electronic product capable of emitting radiation.

(10) "Radioactive material" means any material, solid, liquid, or gas, that emits ionizing radiation spontaneously.

(11) "Registration" means the proper completion and filing with the state radiation control agency of a form provided by the agency, and containing information that the agency may require by its regulations.

(12) "Source material" means:

(i) Uranium, thorium, or any other material which the director of health declared by order to be a source material after the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor to the commission, has determined the material to be source material; or

(ii) Ores containing one or more of the materials listed in paragraph (i), in a concentration that the director of health declared by order to be source material after the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor to the commission, has determined the material in that concentration to be source material.

(13) "Special nuclear material" means:

(i) Plutonium, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, and any other material which the director of health declared by order to be special nuclear material after the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor to the commission, has determined the material to be special nuclear material, but does not include source material; or

(ii) Any material artificially enriched by any of the material listed in paragraph (i), but does not include source material.

(14) "Specific license" means a license, issued after application, to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, own, or possess quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing by-product, source, special nuclear materials, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially.

(15) "Unnecessary radiation" means radiation used in a manner that may present a hazard to the health of the people or the industrial or agricultural potentials or the ecology or wildlife of the state.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1.3-1

P.L. 1976, ch. 195, § 1.