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Queensland regulation
The Radiation Safety Regulation 2021 is a detailed Queensland regulation that sets out the rules for how radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment must be handled, used, monitored, and disposed of safely. It operates alongside the parent Radiation Safety Act and fills in the technical details that the Act leaves to be prescribed by regulation.
This law touches a wide range of people and organisations, including:
The regulation sets precise thresholds (concentration and activity levels) for when a material legally counts as a "radioactive substance" — which triggers licensing and safety obligations. Mining minerals on leased land get different (more lenient) treatment.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Radiation Safety Regulation 2021.
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View on official registerSourced from Queensland Legislation (legislation.qld.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Radiation equipment must be regularly certified as safe ("certificates of compliance"). How often depends on what it's used for:
Strict concentration limits apply to how radioactive material can be discarded — into the air, water, sewerage, or as solid waste. Different rules apply depending on whether it's a natural mineral substance or a processed one. Before throwing away old radiation equipment or containers, radiation warning labels must be removed or made unreadable.
Anyone running a "radiation practice" must have a detailed written safety plan covering:
When radiation is used on patients:
Some radioactive materials are so dangerous they require special security measures — like those used in industrial gauges or cancer treatment machines. These are categorised by risk level (categories 1–3), and the regulation sets out how their security must be managed, linked to Australia's national terrorism threat level.
Solariums and lasers are classified as radiation apparatus and subject to safety limits and licensing requirements.
Radiation can cause serious harm — cancer, radiation sickness, and environmental contamination — if not properly managed. This regulation is essentially the technical rulebook that makes radiation safety law practical and enforceable. It protects workers, patients, and the general public.