ARTICLE 1. Control of Radioactive Contamination of the Environment [114705. - 114780.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 1.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114705. Section 114705.

The Legislature finds and declares that radioactive contamination of the environment may subject the people of the State of California to unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation unless it is properly controlled. It is therefore declared to be the policy of this state that the department initiate and administer necessary programs of surveillance and control of those activities that could lead to the introduction of radioactive materials into the environment.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114710. Section 114710.

As used in this article the following terms have the meanings described in this section. (a) “Department” means the State Department of Health Services. (b) “Environment” means all places outside the control of the person responsible for the radioactive materials. (c) “Field tracer study” is any project, experiment, or study that includes provision for deliberate introduction of radioactive material into the environment for experimental or test purposes. (d) “Person” includes any association of persons, copartnership or corporation. (e) “Radiation,” or “ionizing radiation,” means gamma rays and X-rays; alpha and beta particles, high-speed electrons, neutrons, protons, and other nuclear particles; but not sound or radio waves, or visible, infrared, or ultraviolet light. (f) “Radioactive material” means any material or combination of materials that spontaneously emits ionizing radiation. (g) “Radioactive waste” means any radioactive material that is discarded as nonusable. (h) “Significant” or “significantly,” as applied to radioactive contamination, means concentrations or amounts of radioactive material as are likely to expose persons to ionizing radiation equal to or greater than the guide levels published by the Federal Radiation Council. (i) “Radiological monitoring” means the measurement of the amounts and kinds of radioactive materials in the environment.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114715. Section 114715.

No person shall bury, throw away, or in any manner dispose of radioactive wastes within the state except in a manner and at locations as will result in no significant radioactive contamination of the environment.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114720. Section 114720.

The department may, by written order, prohibit the disposal of radioactive wastes by any person when, upon investigation, it has determined that the disposal violates Section 114715.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114725. Section 114725.

The department may, by written order, prohibit the storage, packaging, transporting, or loading of radioactive wastes if there is a reasonable likelihood that the activities will result in significant radioactive contamination of the environment.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114735. Section 114735.

The department may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin the storage, packaging, transporting, loading, or disposal of radioactive wastes in violation of any written order issued by the department pursuant to Section 114720 or 114725. The court may, if it appears necessary, enjoin any person from using radioactive material who thereby produces radioactive waste that the court finds is being disposed of in violation of this article.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114740. Section 114740.

The department shall maintain surveillance over the storage, packaging, transporting, and loading of radioactive material within this state regardless of the material’s ultimate destination. In carrying out its duties under this section, the department may enter into an agreement with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health and other state and local agencies to conduct any appropriate inspection and enforcement activities. Any agreement with state and local agencies shall not duplicate work to be done pursuant to agreement with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, nor shall work done by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health duplicate work agreed to be done by other state and local agencies. Licensees of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the facilities of the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense are exempt from this section.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114745. Section 114745.

No person shall operate a nuclear reactor, nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, or other installation, as defined by the department, that could, as a result of routine operations, accident, or negligence, significantly contaminate the environment with radioactive material, without first instituting and maintaining an adequate program of radiological monitoring. The proposed program shall be submitted to the department for review and acceptance as to its adequacy.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114750. Section 114750.

No person shall conduct any field tracer study unless detailed plans of the study have been approved by the department. In reviewing proposed field tracer studies, the department shall consider at least the following elements: (a) That there is shown to be a substantial public interest in the information intended to be obtained by the study. (b) That the study will be performed by persons or agencies competent to handle and use the radioactive material safely and with due regard for potential effects on public health. (c) That the study is planned so as to impose the least possible exposure to ionizing radiation consistent with achieving the study’s desired objectives. (d) That there is no likelihood that any person will be exposed to ionizing radiation in excess of guide levels published by the Federal Radiation Council. The department may, as a condition to its approval of a field tracer study, require a representative of the department to be present during the study.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114755. Section 114755.

The department shall monitor radioactive materials in the environment, including radioactive materials in media such as air, milk, food, and water in locations and with a frequency as the department may deem necessary to determine radiation exposure to the people of the state from the materials.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114765. Section 114765.

Any regulations relating to radioactive material cargo, including, but not limited to, packing, marking, loading, handling, and transportation, shall be reviewed and made compatible with the federal regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Department of Transportation Docket No. HM-164, Notice No. 80-1, within 60 days of the date the federal regulations become effective.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114775. Section 114775.

The department, utilizing available funds and in cooperation with the Department of Fish and Game and the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, shall do all of the following: (a) Cooperate with any federal agency that conducts monitoring of marine life or ocean waters, or both, at the sites of radioactive waste dumping off the California coast to determine the effects of the dumping. (b) Purchase and test samples of seafood taken in the vicinity of the Farallon Islands radioactive waste dump site to determine whether the seafood contains radioactivity beyond natural and artificial background levels. (c) Make annual reports to the Legislature on the implementation of this section, including any recommendations for legislation it deems necessary to protect the health of Californians. (d) Take emergency action pursuant to the general authority contained in the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law (Part 5 (commencing with Section 109875)) to prohibit the commercial sale of seafood for human consumption if, in the judgment of the director, samples analyzed pursuant to subdivision (b), are found to contain radioactivity that poses a threat to human health.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 114780. Section 114780.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the dumping of radioactive waste, including the scuttling of radioactive nuclear submarines, into the Pacific Ocean, could adversely affect the California coastal zone. (b) The California Coastal Commission, in cooperation when appropriate with the department, the Department of Justice, the Department of Fish and Game, and the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, shall use any means available to the commission, pursuant to law, to prevent any dumping of radioactive waste in the Pacific Ocean by any public or private entity, unless the commission finds that the dumping would be consistent with the goals and policies of Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000) of the Public Resources Code.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

Starting a business in California? California LLC guide: costs and requirements