NAC459.190. Miscellaneous exemptions: Certain timepieces, lock illuminators, precision balances, automobile shift quadrants, marine navigational instruments, ionization chamber smoke detectors, thermostats, electron tubes and ionizing radiation measuring instruments.

     1. Except for persons who apply radioactive material to, or persons who incorporate radioactive material into, the following products, any person is exempt from NAC 459.010 to 459.950, inclusive, to the extent that he or she receives, possesses, uses, transfers, owns or acquires the following products:

     (a) Timepieces, hands or dials containing not more than the following specified quantities of radioactive material and not exceeding the following specified levels of radiation:

          (1) Twenty-five millicuries (925 megabecquerels) of tritium per timepiece.

          (2) Five millicuries (185 megabecquerels) of tritium per hand.

          (3) Fifteen millicuries (555 megabecquerels) of tritium per dial. If bezels are used, they are considered part of the dial.

          (4) One hundred microcuries (3.7 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 per watch or 200 microcuries (7.4 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 per other timepiece.

          (5) Twenty microcuries (740 kilobecquerels) of promethium-147 per watch hand or 40 microcuries (1.48 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 per other timepiece hand.

          (6) Sixty microcuries (2.22 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 per watch dial or 120 microcuries (4.44 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 per other timepiece dial. If bezels are used, they are considered part of the dial.

          (7) Notwithstanding these quantities, the levels of radiation from hands and dials containing promethium-147 or radium-226 must not exceed, when measured through 50 milligrams per square centimeter of absorber:

               (I) For wrist watches, 0.1 millirad (1 microgray) per hour at 10 centimeters from any surface;

               (II) For pocket watches, 0.1 millirad (1 microgray) per hour at 1 centimeter from any surface, also radium must not be used for pocket watches; and

               (III) For any other timepiece, 0.2 millirad (2 micrograys) per hour at 10 centimeters from any surface.

          (8) One microcurie (37 kilobecquerels) of radium-226 per timepiece in intact timepieces manufactured before November 30, 2010.

     (b) Lock illuminators containing not more than 15 millicuries (555 megabecquerels) of tritium or not more than 2 millicuries (74 megabecquerels) of promethium-147 installed in automobile locks. The levels of radiation from each lock illuminator containing promethium-147 must not exceed 1 millirad (10 micrograys) per hour at 1 centimeter from any surface when measured through 50 milligrams per square centimeter of absorber.

     (c) Precision balances containing not more than 1 millicurie (37 megabecquerels) of tritium per balance or not more than 0.5 millicurie (18.5 megabecquerels) of tritium per balance part which were manufactured before December 17, 2007.

     (d) Automobile shift quadrants containing not more than 25 millicuries (925 megabecquerels) of tritium.

     (e) Marine compasses containing not more than 750 millicuries (27.75 gigabecquerels) of tritium gas and other marine navigational instruments containing not more than 250 millicuries (9.25 gigabecquerels) of tritium gas which were manufactured before December 17, 2007.

     (f) Ionization chamber smoke detectors containing not more than 1 microcurie (µCi) of americium-241 per detector in the form of a foil and designed to protect life and property from fire.

     (g) Thermostat dials and pointers containing not more than 25 millicuries (925 megabecquerels) of tritium per thermostat.

     (h) Electron tubes, if each tube does not contain more than one of the following specified quantities of radioactive material:

          (1) One hundred fifty millicuries (5.55 gigabecquerels) of tritium per microwave receiver protector tube or 10 millicuries (370 megabecquerels) of tritium per any other electron tube;

          (2) One microcurie (37 kilobecquerels) of cobalt-60;

          (3) Five microcuries (185 kilobecquerels) of nickel-63;

          (4) Thirty microcuries (1.11 megabecquerels) of krypton-85;

          (5) Five microcuries (185 kilobecquerels) of cesium-137;

          (6) Thirty microcuries (1.11 megabecquerels) of promethium-147; or

          (7) One microcurie (37 kilobecquerels) of radium-226,

Ê and if the levels of radiation from each electron tube containing radioactive material do not exceed 1 millirad (10 micrograys) per hour at 1 centimeter from any surface when measured through 7 milligrams per square centimeter of absorber.

     (i) Ionizing radiation measuring instruments containing, for purposes of internal calibration or standardization, a source of radioactive material which:

          (1) Does not exceed the applicable quantity in NAC 459.188; and

          (2) Contains not more than 10 exempt quantities.

     2. For the purposes of NAC 459.180 to 459.313, inclusive, authority to transfer possession or control by the manufacturer, processor or producer of any equipment, device, commodity or other product containing source material or by-product material whose subsequent possession, use, transfer and disposal by all other persons are exempted from regulatory requirements may be obtained only from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

     3. For the purposes of paragraph (h) of subsection 1, electron tubes include spark gap tubes, power tubes, gas tubes including glow lamps, receiving tubes, microwave tubes, indicator tubes, pick-up tubes, radiation detection tubes and any other completely sealed tube that is designed to conduct or control electrical currents.

     4. For the purposes of paragraph (i) of subsection 1:

     (a) The source of an instrument may contain either one type or different types of radionuclides;

     (b) An individual exempt quantity may be composed of fractional parts of one or more of the exempt quantities specified in NAC 459.188; and

     (c) Five hundredths of a microcurie of americium-241 shall be deemed an exempt quantity pursuant to NAC 459.188.

     [Bd. of Health, Radiation Control Reg. §§ 3.2.2.3-3.2.2.3.1.8, eff. 2-28-80]—(NAC A by R084-98, 1-26-99; A by Dep’t of Human Resources by R137-01, 5-30-2003; A by Bd. of Health by R085-06, 11-13-2006; R149-07, 1-30-2008; R185-08, 5-7-2010)