Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices

In Canada, the possession and use of nuclear substances and radiation devices are regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in accordance with the Nuclear Safety and Control Act  (NSCA), its associated Regulations and CNSC licences. Nuclear substances and radiation devices account for about 2500 of the CNSC licences and are widely used in medicine, research and teaching, with the majority issued for a variety of industrial applications.  

See the database of nuclear substances and radiation devices licensees.

Nuclear Substances

The possession, use, transfer, import, export, abandonment and storage of nuclear substances must be licensed by the CNSC when the amount of nuclear substance involved is greater than its exemption quantity. See Schedule 1 of the Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Regulations for a complete Exemption Quantitieslist of exemption quantities for nuclear substances.

Learn more about the licensing process for nuclear substances licensing process for radiation devices.

Radiation Devices

The possession, use, transfer, import, export, servicing, abandonment and storage of radiation devices must be licensed by the CNSC when the amount of nuclear substances contained within the radiation device reaches 10 times the exemption quantity.

Learn more about the licensing process for nuclear substances licensing process for radiation devices.

Before you are licensed to possess and use radiation devices, you must ensure that the radiation devices you intend to possess are certified by the CNSC. All radiation devices that contain more than the exemption quantity of a nuclear substance are required to be certified by the CNSC prior to their use in Canada.

Learn more about certifying a radiation device.
See the current list of CNSC certified radiation devices (PDF).

Sealed Sources

Sealed sources are nuclear substances in a sealed capsule or cover that prevents the dispersion of the substance. The possession and movement of high-risk sealed sources are monitored by the CNSC.

Read more about sealed source tracking.

Log in to the sealed source tracking system (SSTS).

Import/Export of Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices

The activities of importing and exporting nuclear substances and radiation devices can be authorized under a Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Licence provided they do not appear on the list of controlled nuclear substances and equipment. If the substances and devices appear on the list, a separate CNSC licence is required.

The authorization to import or export can be added to the NSRD licence upon receipt of a licence amendment request from the licensee along with the proper justification. To clarify whether or not an export or import licence is required, you may contact your Licensing Specialist at 1-888-229-2672 or send an email to the CNSC.

Read more about the import and export of controlled substances, or see the Nuclear non-Proliferation Import and Export Control Regulations.

Exempted activities

The possession of certain nuclear substances and radiation devices does not require a licence provided that they meet specific criteria. The regulations list a number of exemptions, including those related to smoke detectors, tritium safety signs and devices containing radium luminous compounds. Refer to the regulations below to determine if you need to apply to the CNSC for a licence.

Usetypes

There are about 60 different types of licences (called usetypes) that can be issued for nuclear substances and radiation devices. Examples of usetypes include:

  • the manufacturing of nuclear substances and radiation devices
  • industrial radiography
  • diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures and therapeutic nuclear medicine
  • x-ray fluorescence metal detection
  • the various uses of fixed and portable radiation devices

To find out more about usetypes and learn which ones apply to you, see Appendix B of the Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Licence Application Guidelicence application guide for nuclear substances and radiation devices (RD/GD 371) (PDF) or feel free to contact us.

Reporting an emergency

In the event of an emergency involving a nuclear facility, radioactive materials, nuclear substances or radiation devices, please contact the CNSC Duty Officer emergency telephone line: 613-995-0479.

For more information, please see How to Report an Incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read the Frequently Asked Questions about Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices.

Additional Documentation and Information

Regulatory Documents

Forms

Information Documents

Legislation

Service Providers

Service-providing organizations who wish to make their services available to licensees can submit their contact information to the CNSC by filling out a service provider form.  Information will be published on the CNSC Web site once received. The CNSC will not endorse or recommend any of the organizations listed, but provides them to licensees for information purposes only.

reference a1Contact Us
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is committed to providing you with a Web site that respects your privacy.  The personal information on this form is required if you would like the CNSC to contact you with regards to your inquiry and/or comments.  Please see our Privacy Act statement for more information.

Please fill out this form in order to contact the CNSC. Alternately, the CNSC can be reached at 1-888-229-2672.

Contact Form for Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices


Note: Please ensure that you are not providing any personal or sensitive information in this section.