40 CFR § 190.02 - Definitions.

(a) Nuclear fuel cycle means the operations defined to be associated with the production of electrical power for public use by any fuel cycle through utilization of nuclear energy.

(b) Uranium fuel cycle means the operations of milling of uranium ore, chemical conversion of uranium, isotopic enrichment of uranium, fabrication of uranium fuel, generation of electricity by a light-water-cooled nuclear power plant using uranium fuel, and reprocessing of spent uranium fuel, to the extent that these directly support the production of electrical power for public use utilizing nuclear energy, but excludes mining operations, operations at waste disposal sites, transportation of any radioactive material in support of these operations, and the reuse of recovered non-uranium special nuclear and by-product materials from the cycle.

(c) General environment means the total terrestrial, atmospheric and aquatic environments outside sites upon which any operation which is part of a nuclear fuel cycle is conducted.

(d) Site means the area contained within the boundary of a location under the control of persons possessing or using radioactive material on which is conducted one or more operations covered by this part.

(e) Radiation means any or all of the following: Alpha, beta, gamma, or X-rays; neutrons; and high-energy electrons, protons, or other atomic particles; but not sound or radio waves, nor visible, infrared, or ultraviolet light.

(f) Radioactive material means any material which spontaneously emits radiation.

(g) Curie (Ci) means that quantity of radioactive material producing 37 billion nuclear transformations per second. (One millicurie (mCi) = 0.001 Ci.)

(h) Dose equivalent means the product of absorbed dose and appropriate factors to account for differences in biological effectiveness due to the quality of radiation and its spatial distribution in the body. The unit of dose equivalent is the “rem.” (One millirem (mrem)= 0.001 rem.)

(i) Organ means any human organ exclusive of the dermis, the epidermis, or the cornea.

(j) Gigawatt-year refers to the quantity of electrical energy produced at the busbar of a generating station. A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts. A gigawatt-year is equivalent to the amount of energy output represented by an average electric power level of one gigawatt sustained for one year.

(k) Member of the public means any individual that can receive a radiation dose in the general environment, whether he may or may not also be exposed to radiation in an occupation associated with a nuclear fuel cycle. However, an individual is not considered a member of the public during any period in which he is engaged in carrying out any operation which is part of a nuclear fuel cycle.

(l) Regulatory agency means the government agency responsible for issuing regulations governing the use of sources of radiation or radioactive materials or emissions therefrom and carrying out inspection and enforcement activities to assure compliance with such regulations.