Orphan source

Article summary

An orphan source is a self-contained radioactive source that is no longer under regulatory control. It is defined by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission as: ...a sealed source of radioactive material contained in a small volume—but not radioactively contaminated soils and bulk metals—in any one or more of the following conditions: *In an uncontrolled condition that requires removal to protect public health and safety from a radiological threat *Controlled or uncontrolled, but for which a responsible party cannot be readily identified *Controlled, but the material's continued security cannot be assured. If held by a licensee, the licensee has few or no options for, or is incapable of providing for, the safe disposition of the material *In the possession of a person, not licensed to possess the material, who did not seek to possess the material *In the possession of a State radiological protection program for the sole purpose of mitigating a radiological threat because the orphan source is in one of the conditions described in one of the first four bullets and for which the State does not have a means to provide for the material's appropriate disposition Most known orphan sources were, generally, small radioactive sources produced legitimately under governmental regulation.…

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