---
kind: "section"
citation: "32 C.F.R. § 218.2"
title: "32"
number: "218.2"
heading: "General procedures."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/32/218.2"
---

# §218.2. General procedures.


The following procedures govern the approach taken in dose determination:

- (a) **Use individual film badge data where available and complete, for determining the external gamma dose.**
- (b) **Identify group activities and locations for period(s) of possible exposure.**
- (c) **Qualitatively assess the radiation environment in order to delineate contaminated areas.** If no activities occurred in these areas, and if no other potential for exposure exists, a no dose received estimate is made.
- (d) If partial film badge data are available, define group(s) of personnel with common activities and relationships to radiation environment.
- (e) Using standard statistical methods, verify from the distribution of film badge readings whether the badged sample adequately represents the intended group.
- (f) Calculate the mean external gamma dose, with variance and confidence limits, for each unbadged population. Assign a dose equal to 95% probability that actual exposure did not exceed the assigned dose.
- (g) If badge data is not available for a statistical calculation, conduct a dose reconstruction.
- (h) For dose reconstruction, define radiation environment through use of all available scientific data, e.g., measurements of radiation intensity, decay, radioisotopic composition.
- (i) Quantitatively relate activities shielding, position, and other factors to radiation environment as a function of time. Integrate dose throughout period of exposure.
- (j) Where possible, calculate mean dose with confidence limits; otherwise calculate best estimate dose or, if data are too sparse, upper limit dose.
- (k) **Compare calculations with available film badge records to verify the calculated doses.** Whether or not film badge data is available, calculate initial and internal doses where identified as a meaningful contribution to the total dose.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: Pub. L. 98-542, 98 Stat. 2725 (38 U.S.C. 354 Note.)

### Source

Source: 50 FR 42521, Oct. 21, 1985, unless otherwise noted.