[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 151 (Wednesday, August 6, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42219-42220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20644]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 151 / Wednesday, August 6, 1997 /
Proposed Rules
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 35
RIN 3150-AF74
Medical Use of Byproduct Material: Issues and Request for Public
Input
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Request for public input on rule development.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed a
program for revising the regulations governing the medical use of
byproduct material. The decision to revise this regulation resulted
from the NRC Strategic Assessment and Rebaselining Initiative (SA), a
process involving identification of the direction-setting issues and
associated options for the future of NRC activities. This notice
describes the NRC's program for revising the medical use regulation;
notifies the public of the availability of documents associated with
this action on the NRC Technical Conference Forum and through the NRC
Public Document Room; and solicits informal public input on development
of proposed rule language and associated documents. The Commission
plans to formally propose specific rulemaking text for public comment
during the summer of 1998.
DATES: Public input is solicited during development of the proposed
rule but, to be most helpful, should be received by March 1, 1998.
Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical
to do so, but the Commission only is able to ensure consideration of
comments received on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: Send written input and suggestions to Secretary, Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. Hand-deliver comments to 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on
Federal workdays.
Public input may also be submitted electronically on the Internet
via NRC's Technical Conference Forum (http://techconf.llnl.gov/
noframe.html). This site provides the ability to post your input as a
message. For information about the Technical Conference Forum contact
Mary L. Thomas at (301) 415-6230; Email MLT1@nrc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Haney, Diane Flack, or
Susanne Woods; Telephone (301) 415-6825, (301) 415-5681, or (301) 415-
7267; Email [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]; Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The NRC has examined the issues surrounding its medical use program
in great detail during the last four years. This process started with
NRC's 1993 internal senior management review report; continued with the
1996 independent external review report by the National Academy of
Sciences, Institute of Medicine; and culminated in NRC's SA process. In
particular, medical oversight was addressed in the SA Direction-Setting
Issue Paper Number 7 (DSI 7) (released September 16, 1996).
In its ``Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM)--COMSECY-96-057,
Materials/Medical Oversight (DSI 7),'' dated March 20, 1997, the
Commission directed the NRC staff to revise part 35, associated
guidance documents, and, if necessary, the Commission's 1979 Medical
Policy Statement. Further, the SRM stated:
With respect to the medical program, the Commission was not
persuaded by the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine
(IOM) report that recommends that NRC should not be the Federal
agency involved in the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine.
The Commission continues to believe that the conclusions in the
report were not substantiated and that the recommendations should
not be pursued.
The Commission SRM specifically directed the restructuring of part
35 into a risk-informed, more performance-based regulation. Further,
during development of the rule and associated guidance, as well as
during review of the Medical Policy Statement, the NRC staff was
directed to consider the following issues:
1. Focusing part 35 on those procedures that pose the highest risk.
2. Regulatory oversight alternatives, for diagnostic procedures,
that are consistent with the lower overall risk of these procedures.
3. The best way to capture not only relevant safety-significant
events, but also precursor events.
4. The need to change from the term ``misadministration'' to
``medical event'' or other comparable terminology.
5. Redesigning part 35 so that regulatory requirements for new
treatment modalities can be incorporated in a timely manner.
6. Revising the requirement for a quality management program (10
CFR 35.32) to focus on those requirements that are essential for
patient safety.
7. The viability of using or referencing available industry
guidance and standards, within part 35 and related guidance, to the
extent that they meet NRC needs.
Program for Revision of Part 35
The June 30, 1997, SRM informed the NRC staff of the Commission's
approval, with comments, of the NRC staff's proposed program in SECY-
97-131, Supplemental Information on SECY-97-115, ``Program for Revision
of 10 CFR part 35, `Medical Uses of Byproduct Material,' and Associated
Federal Register Notice,'' dated June 20, 1997. With this approval, the
NRC staff initiated development of draft language using an entirely
modality-based approach. The modality approach places all requirements
for a given type of treatment into a single section of the regulation,
including: Who or what organization is licensed; what type of license
is issued; the necessary technical requirements, such as surveys and
calibration; the training and experience requirements; the event
recording and reporting requirements; and the quality improvement and
management objectives. The NRC staff anticipates that the following
modalities would be addressed:
(1) Low-dose unsealed materials (diagnostic nuclear medicine);
(2) High-dose unsealed materials (nuclear medicine therapy);
(3) Low-dose sealed source applications;
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(4) Teletherapy;
(5) High-dose rate remote afterloaders;
(6) Gamma stereotactic surgery; and
(7) Emerging technologies.
This list is not viewed as all-inclusive. Additional categories may
be developed, depending on the breadth of the areas to be covered, and
the similarity of requirements in a given area.
Development of rule text alternatives, including draft guidance
documents, would be done using a governmental working group (or groups)
and steering group approach. State participants have been identified
for both the working and steering groups and will enhance State
participation in this process.
The NRC staff plans to solicit public input on the revision to part
35, associated guidance, and the 1979 Medical Policy Statement on an
informal and formal basis during the rulemaking process. It is expected
that the first version of the draft rule language will be available to
the public on the NRC Technical Conference Forum and through the NRC
Public Document Room, in August 1997. During the development process,
the NRC staff will make drafts publicly available, but will need to cut
off consideration of informal public input at a point approximately two
to three months before providing the draft proposed rule language and
associated draft documents to the Commission for approval. (Currently
the draft proposed rule and associated draft documents are scheduled to
be provided to the Commission in May 1998.) Public input received after
that time would be considered as part of the ongoing interaction
process, and as part of the comments received during the formal public
comment period on the proposed rule after Commission approval. The NRC
staff plans to interact with professional societies on an ongoing basis
to solicit input. The NRC staff will conduct facilitated public
meetings in the Fall of 1997. These meetings will be used to focus
discussion on specific rule text proposals. Discussions would also be
held in meetings with the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of
Isotopes (ACMUI) and the Organization of Agreement States in the Fall
of 1997.
After Commission approval of the proposed rule language and
associated documents, the proposed rule and associated draft documents
will be published in the Federal Register for public comment for 75
days. The NRC staff will also make these documents available on the NRC
rulemaking website. The NRC staff plans to hold two public meetings
during the formal comment period to facilitate comment submittal.
Development of the final rule, associated documents, and final
guidance will be done using a governmental working group and steering
group. The NRC staff will continue to make draft documents available on
the NRC Technical Conference Forum, but will not be able to consider
further public input on these documents, beginning approximately four
months before the submission of the draft documents for Commission
approval (currently scheduled for May 1999). The NRC staff plans to
discuss the draft final documents with the ACMUI and the Agreement
States before submitting them to the Commission.
Reference Information
1. Strategic Assessment Direction-Setting Issues Paper Number 7
is available by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Attention: NRC Public Document Room, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
(Telephone: (202) 634-3273; fax: (202) 634-3343.)
2. The memorandum ``Management Review of Existing Medical Use
Regulatory Program (COMIS-92-026)'' (dated June 16, 1993) is
available by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Attention: NRC Public Document Room, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
(Telephone: (202) 634-3273; fax: (202) 634-3343.)
3. ``Radiation in Medicine: A Need for Regulatory Reform''
(1996) is available from the National Academy Press at 2101
Constitution Avenue, NW, Box 285, Washington, DC 20055.
4. Summary minutes and transcripts of the ACMUI April 1997
meeting or transcripts of the May 8, 1997, Commission briefing are
available by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Attention: NRC Public Document Room, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
(Telephone: (202) 634-3273; fax: (202) 634-3343.)Transcripts of the
May 8, 1997, briefing are also available by Internet at http://
www.nrc.gov.
5. The NRC Medical Policy Act Statement of 1979 was published in
the Federal Register, Volume 44, page 8242, on February 9, 1979.
6. SECY-97-115, Program for Revision of 10 CFR part 35,
``Medical Uses of Byproduct Material'' and Associated Federal
Register Notice; SECY-97-131, Supplemental Information on SECY-97-
131, Supplemental Information on SECY-97-115, ``Program for Revision
of 10 CFR part 35, `Medical Uses of Byproduct Material,' and
Associated Federal Register Notice; and the associated SRM (dated
June 30, 1997) are available by writing to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Attention: NRC Public Document Room,
Washington, DC 20555-0001. (Telephone: (202) 634-3273; fax: (202)
634-3343.)
Copies are also available on the NRC Technical Conference Forum at
http://techconf.llnl.gov/noframe.html.
Dated at Rockville, MD., this 31st day of July, 1997.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John C. Hoyle,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 97-20644 Filed 8-5-97; 8:45 am]
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