[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 10, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 10CFR32.55]

[Page 526-527]
 
                            TITLE 10--ENERGY
 
                CHAPTER I--NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
 
PART 32_SPECIFIC DOMESTIC LICENSES TO MANUFACTURE OR TRANSFER CERTAIN 
ITEMS CONTAINING BYPRODUCT MATERIAL--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart B_Generally Licensed Items
 
Sec. 32.55  Same: Quality assurance; prohibition of transfer.

    (a) Each person licensed under Sec. 32.53 shall visually inspect 
each device and shall reject any which has an observable physical defect 
that could affect containment of the tritium or promethium-147.
    (b) Each person licensed under Sec. 32.53 shall take a random 
sample of the size required by the table in Sec. 32.110 for Lot 
Tolerance Percent Defective of 5.0 percent from each inspection lot, and 
shall subject each unit in the sample to the following tests:
    (1) Each device shall be immersed in 30 inches of water for 24 hours 
and shall show no visible evidence of water entry. Absolute pressure of 
the air above the water shall then be reduced to 1 inch of mercury. 
Lowered pressure shall be maintained for 1 minute or until air bubbles 
cease to be given off by the water, whichever is the longer. Pressure 
shall then be increased to normal atmospheric pressure. Any device which 
leaks as evidenced by bubbles emanating from within the device, or water 
entering the device, shall be considered as a defective unit.
    (2) The immersion test water from the preceding test in paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section shall be measured for tritium or promethium-147 
content by an apparatus that has been calibrated to measure tritium or 
promethium-147, as appropriate. If more than 0.1 percent of the original 
amount of tritium or promethium-147 in any device is found to have 
leaked into the immersion test water, the leaking device shall be 
considered as a defective unit.
    (3) The levels of radiation from each device containing promethium-
147 shall be measured. Any device which has a radiation level in excess 
of 0.5 millirad per hour at 10 centimeters from any surface when 
measured through 50 milligrams per square centimeter of absorber, shall 
be considered as a defective unit.
    (c) An application for a license or for amendment of a license may 
include a description of procedures proposed as alternatives to those 
prescribed by paragraph (b) of this section, and proposed criteria for 
acceptance under those procedures. The Commission will approve the 
proposed alternative procedures if the applicant demonstrates that:
    (1) They will consider defective any sampled device which has a 
leakage rate exceeding 0.1 percent of the original quantity of tritium 
or promethium 147 in any 24-hour period; and
    (2) The operating characteristic curve or confidence interval 
estimate for the alternative procedures provides

[[Page 527]]

a Lot Tolerance Percent Defective of 5.0 percent at the consumer's risk 
of 0.10.
    (d) No person licensed under Sec. 32.53 shall transfer to persons 
generally licensed under Sec. 31.7 of this chapter:
    (1) Any luminous safety device which has been tested and found 
defective under the criteria and procedures specified in this section, 
unless the defective units have been repaired or reworked and have then 
met the tests set out in paragraph (b) of this section; or
    (2) Any inspection lot which has been rejected as a result of the 
procedures in Sec. 32.110 or alternative procedures in paragraph (c) of 
this section, unless the defective units have been sorted and removed or 
have been repaired or reworked and have then met the tests set out in 
paragraph (b) of this section.

[30 FR 8192, June 26, 1965, as amended at 39 FR 22129, June 20, 1974; 39 
FR 26397, July 19, 1974]