*Attention
The Radiological Health email address has changed. Update your contacts to iowaram@hhs.iowa.gov
Licensing, registration, inspection and enforcement are the main components of the Iowa RAM Program.
Ionizing radiation can be instrumental in the improvement of health, welfare and productivity if used properly. Radiation can be hazardous to people if they are exposed to it in significant amounts. Through the licensing, registration, inspection and enforcement program, the Iowa RAM Program regulates the possession and use of radioactive material to help ensure public health and safety.
In addition to the duties listed above, RAM Program Staff also have the following responsibilities:
- Specific license issuance, renewal, amendment and terminations.
- Site inspections of all specific licensees. Inspection frequency is based on threat to public health and safety. 25 different categories of licensees including medical, industrial radiography, industrial portable moisture/density gauges, and academia or private research and development.
- Security inspections of licensees that are subject to Iowa Administrative Code 641 Chapter 37.
- Registration of generally licensed material and medical oncology/industrial radiation producing machines.
- Industrial Radiographer testing program.
- Tracking of radioactive shipments in Iowa.
- Off site response organization responsible for protection of the public during a nuclear power plant accident.
- Station operator for the Des Moines location of the Environmental Protection Agency RadNet air monitoring station.
- Training of first responders including but not limited to regional Hazardous Materials Teams, Iowa State Patrol, and Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officers.
- After hours contact for any radiological emergency in the State of Iowa.
List items for Radioactive Materials (RAM)
Regulatory guides are provided by the program to provide clarification and additional information for radioactive materials licenses.
Generally Licensed
Specifically Licensed
- Broadscope Licenses (668.58 KB) .pdf
- Calibrating Radiation Survey and Monitoring Instruments (527.69 KB) .pdf
- Dose Rate Afterloaders (506.99 KB) .pdf
- Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery (412.84 KB) .pdf
- Gas Chromatograph Devices and X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzers (439.29 KB) .pdf
- Intravascular Brachtherapy (72.1 KB) .pdf
- Laboratory and Industrial Use (377.45 KB) .pdf
- Medical Use of Radioactive Material for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures (922.03 KB) .pdf
- Medical Use of Radioactive Material for Diagnostic Procedures (1.07 MB) .pdf
- Nonportable Gauging Device (465.75 KB) .pdf
- Nuclear Pharmacy (705.29 KB) .pdf
- Nuclear Van Regulatory Guide (712.43 KB) .pdf
- Portable Gauging Device (465.75 KB) .pdf
- Special Nuclear Material (458.94 KB) .pdf
Miscellaneous
Iowa Administrative Code 641
- Chapter 37: Physical Protection of Category 1 and Category 2 Quantities of Radioactive Material
- Chapter 38: General provisions
- Chapter 39: Registration of x-ray, licensure of Radioactive materials, transportation
- Chapter 40: Radiation protection
- Chapter 41: Safety requirements for radiation machines (41.1) and medical use radioactive materials (41.2), therapeutic use (41.3), mammography 41.6 and 41.7)
- Chapter 42: Rules for certification of operators.
- Chapter 45: Radiation safety requirements for industrial radiographic operations, particle accelerators for nonhuman use, analytical x-ray equipment, and well-logging.
The annual fee for Iowa HHS reciprocal recognition of a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or other Agreement State's Radioactive Materials License is $1,800.00. The check should be payable to the Iowa HHS. With the fee you must provide a copy of your current Radioactive Material's License.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Bureau of Radiological Health
321 E. 12th Street
Lucas State Office Building, 5th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075
Before processing and using radioactive material in Iowa, the fee and associated paperwork must have been received and approved by Iowa HHS.
In addition, you may be inspected during the time spent in Iowa. The Iowa HHS Radiation Machines and Radioactive Materials Rules can be found on our web site.
- Reciprocity of Specific Radioactive Materials Application (200.35 KB) .pdf
- Reciprocity Notification (111.68 KB) .pdf
The following are excerpts of the rules pertaining to reciprocity in Iowa.
39.4(90) Reciprocal recognition of licenses.
Licenses of by-product, source, and special nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass.
Subject to 641-Chapter 39, any person who holds a specific license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an agreement state, and issued by the agency having jurisdiction where the licensee maintains an office for directing the licensed activity and at which radiation safety records are normally maintained, is hereby granted a general license to conduct the activities authorized in such licensing document within this state for a period not in excess of 180 days in a one-year period.
The one-year period starts on the day the licensee's reciprocity fee, as specified in 641-subrule 38.8(8), is received by the agency and ends exactly 365 days later. Licensees are responsible for ensuring they do not exceed the 180-day limit within the one-year period and must apply for renewal 30 days prior to the expiration date of the one-year reciprocal recognition period. Out-of-state persons wishing to operate in the state in excess of 180 calendar days must obtain an Iowa radioactive materials license, which requires that the person have a permanent office in Iowa where records are maintained pertaining to licensed activities and where material can be stored, and must have at least one full-time employee and a telephone.
The licensing document referenced in 39.4(90)"a"(1) shall not limit the activity authorized by such document to specified installations or locations.
The out-of-state licensee shall notify the agency in writing at least three working days prior to engaging in activities in the state. Such notification shall indicate the location, period, and type of proposed possession and use within the state, and shall be accompanied by a copy of the pertinent licensing document initially. If, for a specific case, the three-day period would impose an undue hardship on the out-of-state licensee, the licensee may, upon application to the agency, obtain permission to proceed sooner. The agency may waive the requirement for filing additional written notifications during the remainder of the one-year reciprocity period following the receipt of the initial notification from a person engaging in activities under the general license provided by 39.4(90)"a.""a."
Notification can be made by faxing Iowa HHS at (515) 281-4529. The notification should include:
- Dates that you will be working in Iowa
- Type of device
- Names of the employees using the device
- Location of use
- Local contact - usually the following:
- Name of Client
- Name of client's employee that can be contacted by Iowa HHS
- Telephone number
The out-of-state licensee shall comply with all applicable rules of the agency and with all the terms and conditions of the licensing document, except any such terms and conditions which may be inconsistent with applicable rules of the agency.
The out-of-state licensee shall supply other information as the agency may request.
Applications
- Application for Radioactive Material License (49.21 KB) .pdf
- Generally Licensed Radioactive Materials Registration Form (117.99 KB) .pdf
Training, Experience and Preceptor Attestation Forms
- Radiation Safety Officer or Associate Radiation Safety Officer [IAC 641-41.2(65) & (75)]. (591.21 KB) .pdf
- Authorized User - unsealed byproduct material for which a written directive IS NOT required [IAC 641-41.2(67), (68), & (75)]. (1.16 MB) .pdf
- Authorized User - unsealed byproduct material for which a written directive IS required [IAC 641-41.2(69), (75), (81), (82), & (89)] (678.47 KB) .pdf
- Authorized User - sealed sources for which a written directive IS required [IAC 641-41.2(70), (71), (73, & (75)] (607.43 KB) .pdf
- Authorized Medical Physicist or Ophthalmic Physicist [IAC 641-41.2(74), (75), & (85)] (494.84 KB) .pdf
- Authorized Nuclear Pharmacist [IAC 641-41.2(78)] (323.78 KB) .pdf
- Depleted Uranium Registration Form (25.85 KB) .pdf
- Fact Sheet on Tritium Exit Signs (347.32 KB) .pdf
- Fee Schedule (288.66 KB) .pdf
- Notice to Employees (148.66 KB) .pdf
- Notice to Employees - Spanish (162.24 KB) .pdf
- Record Retention Requirements (63.36 KB) .pdf
- Transportation of Radioactive Material (313.2 KB) .pdf
- Sources of Radiation (1.26 MB) .pdf
- Major Uses of Radioisotopes (1.08 MB) .pdf
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (909.99 KB) .pdf
- Public Safety Information (683.14 KB) .pdf
- Glossary (677.82 KB) .pdf
For more information regarding radiation protection, federal regulations and the industrial radiographer exam follow the links below:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
- Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Iowa HHS has reviewed and approved the following online training courses for PORTABLE MOISTURE/DENSITY GAUGE AUTHORIZED USERS:
American Portable Nuclear Gauge Association (APNGA)
Portable Nuclear Gauge Safety Certification Class
Radiation Safety Officer Class
Contact Information:
George Marshall, Director
American Portable Nuclear Gauge Association
P.O. Box 423
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
240-888-6426
American Technical Institute
Portable Nuclear Density/Moisture Gauge Use and Safety Training
Contact Information:
Troy B. Bandy, P.E., Vice President
American Technical Institute
5130 S. Ft. Apache Rd. #215-245
Las Vegas, NV 89148
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
DOT HM-181 Basic HazMat Employee Course #1058
Contact Information:
Brian Kirking, Training Director
Chanell Gumbs, Training Coordinator
510-464-7964
www.hazmatschool.com (online training)
InstroTek, Inc.
Nuclear Gauge Operator training class via webinar
Contact Information:
Lawrence H. James Ph.D.
InstroTek, Inc.
5908 Triangle Drive
Raleigh, NC 27617
919-875-8371
Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc:
Nuclear Gauge Safety Certification
HazMat Certification
Contact Information:
Stephen A. Browne, Manager, Radiation Safety
Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
3008 E. Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-485-2228