Radiation protection – Approval of consumer products

table of content

General information

Consumer products within the meaning of radiation protection law are

  • products that intentionally contain radioactive substances or
  • generate ionising radiation.

The exposure from consumer products must be so low that there are no concerns about radiation protection for users.

Please note

Examples of such consumer products are thorium-containing products such as grinding wheels, welding electrodes or mantles, products with tritium as a light source (watches, compasses, etc.) or ionisation smoke detectors or test sources for smoke detectors.

In order to place consumer products on the market in Austria, approval from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology is required.

Enterprises affected

Companies that want to place a consumer product on the market in Austria

Requirements

  • The use of the consumer product must be justified.
  • In addition, there should be no reservations about the reliability of the applicant or, in the case of a legal entity, about the reliability of the persons authorised to represent it.
  • It must also be ensured that exposures in the event of use for the intended purpose and the likelihood of misuse or accidental exposures and their consequences are minimised.
  • For radiation protection reasons, no precautionary measures need to be taken during and after use of the consumer product.
  • The consumer product must be appropriately marked and information must be available for use of the consumer product for the intended purpose.

Please note

The maximum permissible dose rate is one microsievert per hour when used as intended at a distance of 0.1 meters from any touchable surface of the product (see section 20 Allgemeine Strahlenschutzverordnung – AllgStrSchV).

If the product contains a radioactive substance, the activity must be less than or equal to the exemption limit in accordance with annex 1 section D AllgStrSchV. If there are several radioactive substances contained, the quotient rule in accordance with section 7 paragraph 1 (2) AllgStrSchV must be applied.

Deadlines

There are no special deadlines to be observed.

Competent authority

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (→ BMK)

Procedure

The approval process takes place upon written application from the company to the competent authority. The application must contain all documents that enable the authority to check whether the requirements for placing the product on the market as a consumer product are met.

After the examination has been successfully completed, the authority issues an approval decision. The deadline only begins to run as soon as the application has been submitted in full. The approval notice also contains, among other things, conditions regarding marking and the information to be provided for the intended use of the consumer product.

Required documents

An application for approval of a consumer product shall include documents that provide the following information:

  • intended use of the product
  • the technical characteristics of the product
  • in the case of products containing radioactive substances:
    • the contained radionuclides and their activity
    • information on their embedding
  • dose rates at distances relevant for use of the product, including the dose rate at a distance of 0.1 metres from any accessible surface
  • doses people are exposed to who use the product on a regular basis
  • information on marking and intended use
  • all other information needed for an evaluation of the application
  • any approvals in other EU Member States

Please note

If the product has already been approved for marketing as a consumer product in at least one other EU Member States, the procedure for approval in Austria is significantly simplified. In this case, please send the admission letter or letters including attachments (in German or English).

Legal bases

Expert information

There is no expert information available.

Last update: 29 January 2024

Responsible for the content: Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology