Radiation Protection Regulations Updated

Summary#

This final rule (SOR/2020-237) updates the Radiation Protection Regulations to reflect modern radiation safety standards. It tightens some dose limits (notably the lens-of-eye limit to 50 mSv per year), clarifies who and what is covered, and changes monitoring, record-keeping and information duties for licence holders. The regulations were published in the Canada Gazette on November 25, 2020, with some parts taking effect on January 1, 2021.

What it does#

• Updates wording and definitions:

  • Removes outdated dose-calculation formulas and deletes the definitions of “working level” and “working level month.”
  • Adds a definition of “caregiver” and clarifies that a “dosimetry service” is a facility licensed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

• Exempts non-occupational caregivers:

  • The regulations no longer apply to doses received by a person acting as a caregiver (someone who voluntarily helps a patient after therapeutic nuclear medicine).

• Changes to patient and caregiver information:

  • When a nuclear substance is given for therapy, the licence holder must inform the patient about ways to reduce other people’s exposure (including caregivers). That information can be provided in a way that is convenient and specific to the situation.

• Worker information and emergency training:

  • Licence holders must tell each nuclear energy worker (NEW), in writing, their radiation risks, applicable dose limits and their responsibilities during an emergency.
  • NEWs must be informed of their individual radiation dose levels at least annually.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding rules:

  • Female NEWs are no longer required by the regulations to disclose pregnancy. Licence holders must tell female NEWs why it is important to inform the employer, and must make accommodations (without undue hardship) when a worker notifies them in writing that she is pregnant or breastfeeding.

• Dosimetry and monitoring:

  • Licence holders must use a licensed dosimetry service for NEWs who have a reasonable probability of receiving an effective dose greater than 5 mSv in one year, or an equivalent dose to skin/hands/feet greater than 50 mSv in one year.
  • When sending worker data to a dosimetry service, licence holders must include personal details such as name, Social Insurance Number, gender and birth information.

• Dose limits and key changes:

  • The equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye for a NEW is reduced from 150 mSv to 50 mSv in a one‑year dosimetry period. (A proposed five‑year limit was not adopted.)
  • Effective dose limits in the regulations are reorganized; the pregnant NEW limit is 4 mSv for the balance of pregnancy once the licence holder is informed.

• Records, instruments and signs:

  • Licence holders must keep dose records for 5 years.
  • Radiation instruments must be selected, tested and calibrated for their intended use.
  • Signs are required at entrances when a room contains more than 100 times an exemption quantity or when dose rate can exceed 25 µSv/h; vehicles carrying transport consignments are exempt from posting.

• Administrative penalties:

  • The schedule of violations in the Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) was updated to match the changes.

• Timing:

  • Most changes came into force on publication (November 25, 2020). Specific items (including two reporting/record provisions and the eye-dose limit) come into force on January 1, 2021.

Who's affected#

• Licence holders regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission — about 1,570 active licences overall.
• Nuclear energy workers (NEWs), including pregnant and breastfeeding workers.
• Patients who receive therapeutic nuclear substances and the people who care for them (non-occupational caregivers).
• Licensed dosimetry services and the Health Canada National Dose Registry, because of changes to data submitted (term “gender” replaces “sex”).
• Smaller licence holders: roughly 1,200 are small businesses and were estimated to face an average annual cost of about $343 each under the regulatory impact analysis.
• Nuclear power plant operators were identified as facing the largest compliance costs among licencees.

Why it matters#

• Worker health: Lowering the eye dose limit to 50 mSv/year aims to reduce the risk of radiation-related lens damage and future cataracts for workers with eye exposure.
• Better monitoring and information: Annual dose reporting, clearer rules about dosimetry services and changes to what worker data is shared help track exposures more consistently.
• Protecting infants and family: The rules clarify how licence holders must inform and accommodate pregnant and breastfeeding workers, which helps limit radiation reaching embryos, fetuses and breastfed infants when exposure risks exist.
• Practical clarity: The updates modernize language, remove confusing formulae, and align Canada’s rules with international radiation protection guidance.
• Costs and compliance: The government estimated an overall present-value compliance cost of about $10,183,655 (annualized $1,471,766) for licence holders over the analysis period. Some businesses — especially large licensees like nuclear power plants — may face bigger costs to update monitoring, training and equipment.

If you want specific technical or legal details, the full text and the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement are available in the Canada Gazette notice for SOR/2020-237.