New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Office of Radiological Health

The Office of Radiological Health is responsible for regulating the possession and use of radioactive materials in New York City, when such materials are to be used for non-industrial purposes such as medical diagnosis and treatment. The Office licenses individual physicians, institutions such as hospitals and academic facilities, and New York City agencies so that they can use radioactive materials for these purposes. The Office also inspects the facilities at certain prescribed intervals to determine whether they are complying with various health and safety requirements.

We examined the Office’s licensing and inspection practices and found that a number of improvements were needed. For example, we found that a significant percentage of the Office’s inspections were not performed within the required timeframes. We also found that the inspections were not always planned, performed and documented in accordance with Office requirements. We also identified long delays in the license renewal process, and determined that the Office could more efficiently and effectively monitor the correction of safety violations if additional information about the violations was recorded on the Office’s automated information system.

For a complete copy of Report 2004-N-7 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.