UPDATE – Changes to the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)
Dr. Tino Köster
The regulation on protection against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation was revised in 2024.
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On 10 January 2024, the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) “Fourth Ordinance Amending the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)” announced. By and large, these mostly involve clarifications of already regulated issues. However, in isolated cases, additional requirements or options for fulfilling them were introduced. Adjustments that could be particularly relevant for research and the medical field include, among others, the following points:
- • At the Release of liquids only the mass of the liquid is considered as the reference mass (§ 1 para. 17 StrlSchV).
- • The Radiation protection officers must ensure that protective clothing and protective equipment are not only available but also used (Section 75 (1a) StrlSchV).
- • The competent authority may specify time intervals for the Constancy test for installations generating ionising radiation etc. (Section 116 (1) StrlSchV).
- • The Records of the constancy test no longer have to be kept for 10 years, but only for 5 years (Section 117 Paragraph 2 StrlSchV).
- • The Risk assessment before radiation treatment must be updated at least every 3 years (§ 126 para. 1a StrlSchV).
- • Authorized persons Persons responsible for technical implementation of ionizing radiation or radioactive substances on humans (e.g. medical technologists for radiology (MTR)) must be at the place of technical implementation (Section 146 (2) StrlSchV).
- • The Extension of a radiation passport by up to 5 years is now officially possible through the authorities (§ 174 para. 2a).
- • New Radiation or tissue weighting factors (e.g. for the conversion of organ doses into effective doses) are only mandatory from July 2027 (Section 197 (2) StrlSchV).
The changes are entered into force on 16 January 2024. An overview of all current amendments to the StrlSchV can be found here . The current version of the Radiation Protection Ordinance is available on the homepage of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
