Question 211: 20.1502 (a) (2) and (b) (2) say that
monitoring is required for declared pregnant women
"...likely to receive, in 1 year,..." a dose in excess of
10 percent of the applicable limits for the embryo / fetus.
(a) What year does this refer to? (b) Since the
gestation period is 9 months (and since monitoring would
begin after the declaration, which may be several months
into a pregnancy), why does the regulation use a year? (c)
The licensee badges a declared pregnant woman (whose
estimated date of delivery is in January or February)
during the current calendar year. The licensee then
estimates that for the next calendar year, between the
start of the year and delivery, the declared pregnant
woman's external doses will be less that 10 percent of the
applicable embryo / fetus dose limits, is the licensee
required to badge the woman for the new year? (d) Can
licensees assume that after delivery, the "year" time
period is over and that monitoring the woman (to
demonstrate compliance with the embryo / fetus dose limits)
is no longer required?
Answer: (a) The word "year" is used to indicate a
12-month period starting in January. (See definition of
year in 10 CFR 20.1003).
(b) This requirement is for determining whether monitoring
must be provided, and the term year is used to be
consistent with other monitoring criteria as specified in
10 CFR 20.1502.
(c) Once a determination is made to monitor the declared
pregnant woman, monitoring is to continue for the entire
pregnancy, to determine compliance with the limit of
exposure to the embryo / fetus.
(d) Yes. Once the woman is no longer a declared pregnant
woman, the need to provide monitoring will be based on
requirements of 10 CFR 20.1502 (a) (1). (Reference: 10 CFR
20.1502, 10 CFR 20.1003)