New Mexico amends radiation safety rules to match federal guidelines

New Mexico recently amended state radiation safety rules for medical and industrial imaging equipment, such as X-rays, to match current federal standards, the state environmental department announced Monday.

The changes, approved by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board last week, bring the equipment used in X-ray, CT scan or other medical imaging exams that use ionizing radiation up to par with current federal requirements, according to an agency news release. 

Currently, the state radiation code cites an incorrect reference regarding exposure reports and radiation levels, according to an NMED document outlining the amendments. The amendments modernize requirements for reviewing patient and staff radiation protection plans, and update credentialing requirements for 3,500 professionals who operate medical radiation equipment statewide, as well as the 1,500 current X-ray registrations and all future applicants, NMED added. 

“Whether you’re getting an X-ray at your local hospital or working around radiation equipment, you should be confident that the proper safety standards are in place,” Michelle Miano, NMED environmental protection division director, said in a statement. “These updates help ensure New Mexico’s regulations reflect today’s technology and the people using it understand their responsibility to protect patients, workers, and the public.”

The amendments also clarify registration and reporting requirements for industrial operations that use X-rays to inspect materials and equipment, which NMED says will help the department’s Radiation Control Bureau process applications and maintain public health oversight.

“Radiation-related technologies and professional standards continue to evolve, and our regulations must evolve with them,” Srikanth Paladugu, the chief of NMED’s Radiation Control Bureau, said in a statement. “These amendments give regulated professionals clearer requirements and help the Bureau administer an efficient, consistent and protective regulatory program.”