The Ministry of Science and Technology has issued Circular No. 59/2025/TT-BKHCN detailing regulations on radiation safety and response to radiation and nuclear incidents, creating a comprehensive legal framework and replacing some previous regulations that have not kept pace with reality.
The Circular is based on the Atomic Energy Law of 2025 and its implementing decrees, aiming to concretize requirements for nuclear safety and security, radiation control, licensing, and monitoring of radiation activities in practice, meeting management requirements in the context of increasingly expanding atomic energy applications.
Strict control from source to use.
The circular comprehensively regulates measures for controlling occupational and public radiation exposure; strengthens radiation management in the collection and recycling of scrap iron and steel; and adds requirements for ensuring radiation safety in healthcare, including establishing reference dose levels for patients in diagnostic imaging.
Radiation safety requirements are established right from the infrastructure design stage. Nuclear facilities handling or storing radioactive waste must provide detailed data on foundations, groundwater, and assessments of the potential for radioactive contamination of soil and water. Interlocking or key-locking systems are mandatory for storage areas for Group 1 and Group 2 radioactive sources, accelerators, and waste treatment areas.
For the transportation of radioactive materials, the new regulations tighten requirements for classification, labeling, packaging, transit storage, radiation dose rate control, transport index, and critical safety index. At the same time, they strengthen control over imported goods at risk of radioactive contamination, ensuring that risks are prevented right at the border.
In the medical field, safety standards for X-ray rooms have been raised. Operators of mobile X-ray equipment must wear lead rubber aprons and thyroid shields. For interventional and angiography procedures, doctors and staff are also required to wear lead glasses and lead rubber gloves.
One notable point is the regulation requiring the retention of health records and radiation dose records for radiation workers for 30 years from the date of termination of relevant work, ensuring long-term traceability and monitoring.
Facilities that use scrap iron and steel as raw materials for production must implement measures to detect and prevent radioactive sources from contaminating the scrap materials to ensure the safety of both products and workers.
Proactively respond to incidents according to modern scenarios.
Circular No. 59/2025/TT-BKHCN sets strict standards for personnel working in radiation environments. Radiation workers must receive updated, in-depth knowledge every three years from licensed training institutions. Annually, the employing unit must organize internal training on regulations and procedures for responding to incidents.
Regulations regarding the age of workers have also been tightened: it is strictly prohibited to employ individuals under 18 years of age in areas with a radiation exposure risk exceeding 1 mSv/year or to care for patients undergoing radiation therapy. Female workers who are pregnant or breastfeeding will be assigned to work unrelated to radiation if they so wish. For trainees working for three months or more in controlled areas, the facility is required to provide personal dosimeters to monitor radiation doses.
Regarding incident response, the Circular clearly stipulates the process for appraising provincial-level radiation and nuclear incident response plans. The appraisal council is established by the Ministry; within 45 days of receiving the appraisal results, the management agency will notify the localities to finalize and approve the plan. Localities undergoing administrative reorganization must review and revise their incident response plans to align with the new organizational model, avoiding management gaps.
Notably, the Circular sets out "general criteria" - predicted radiation dose thresholds that, when reached, require immediate protective measures such as evacuation, shielding, or immediate administration of potassium iodide tablets. Initial response forces are fully equipped with personal protective equipment and ready to handle the situation on-site.
Circular No. 59/2025/TT-BKHCN officially takes effect from January 1, 2026. Along with this, many previous circulars on occupational radiation control, radiation safety in medicine, transportation of radioactive materials, management of radioactive waste and spent radioactive sources officially cease to be in effect.
The development and promulgation of the Circular on ensuring radiation safety and responding to radiation and nuclear incidents aims to concretize the provisions of the Law and Decree, perfect the legal framework, ensure safety for people and the environment, meet the requirements of state management and conform to the safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, creating a foundation for a safe and sustainable environment for the application of atomic energy in Vietnam.
Center for Science and Technology Communication