Virginia § 32.1-229 - Powers and duties of the Board

§ 32.1-229. Powers and duties of the Board

The Board shall:

1. Establish a program of effective regulation of sources of radiation for the protection of the public health and safety, including a program of education and technical assistance relating to radon that is targeted to those areas of the Commonwealth known to have high radon levels. As a part of such program, a list of persons who are nationally certified to offer screening, testing, or mitigation for radon shall be made available to the public.

2. Establish a program to promote the orderly regulation of radiation within the Commonwealth, among the states and between the federal government and the Commonwealth and to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation with respect to use and regulation of sources of radiation to the end that duplication of regulation may be minimized.

3. Establish a program to permit maximum utilization of sources of radiation consistent with the public health and safety.

4. Promulgate regulations providing for (i) general or specific licenses to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, own or possess quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing, by-product, source, special nuclear materials, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially, (ii) registration of the possession of a source of radiation and of information with respect thereto, and (iii) regulation of by-product, source and special nuclear material.

5. Encourage, participate in and conduct studies, investigations, training, research and demonstrations relating to control of sources of radiation.

6. Establish fee schedules for the licensure of radioactive materials.

7. Establish guidelines to require the licensed facilities or physicians' offices where mammography services are performed to offer to the patient, prior to departure, development of such films to ensure integrity and quality of the film. When film developing is not available or the patient chooses not to wait, the patient shall be notified within two business days if another mammogram is necessary. This requirement does not imply or require that a diagnostic opinion be made at the time of the mammogram. The interpreting physician may require that the mammogram be retaken if, in the opinion of the physician, the study is of inadequate quality. Such guidelines shall also require the licensed facility or physician's office where mammography services are performed to (i) include information on breast density in mammogram letters sent to patients pursuant to regulations implementing the Mammography Quality Standards Act promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and (ii) include in letters sent to patients determined by the interpreting physician to have heterogeneously dense or extremely dense tissue, as defined in nationally recognized guidelines or systems for breast imaging reporting of mammography screening, including the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) of the American College of Radiology, and any equivalent new terms, as such guidelines or systems are updated, the following notice:

"YOUR MAMMOGRAM DEMONSTRATES THAT YOU HAVE DENSE BREAST TISSUE. DENSE BREAST TISSUE IS VERY COMMON AND IS NOT ABNORMAL. HOWEVER, DENSE BREAST TISSUE CAN MAKE IT HARDER TO FIND CANCER ON A MAMMOGRAM AND MAY ALSO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF BREAST CANCER.

THIS INFORMATION IS GIVEN TO YOU TO RAISE YOUR AWARENESS. USE THIS INFORMATION TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT YOUR OWN RISKS FOR BREAST CANCER. AT THAT TIME, ASK YOUR DOCTOR IF MORE SCREENING TESTS MIGHT BE USEFUL BASED ON YOUR RISK.

A REPORT OF YOUR MAMMOGRAPHY RESULTS HAS BEEN SENT TO YOUR REFERRING PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE, AND YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR PHYSICIAN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS REPORT."

8. Issue such orders or modifications thereof as may be necessary in connection with proceedings under this title.

Code 1950, §§ 32-414.2, 32-414.4, 32-414.6, 32-414.7, 32-414.16; 1964, c. 158; 1968, c. 314; 1975, c. 563; 1979, c. 711; 1987, c. 666; 1988, c. 736; 1989, cc. 275, 283; 1999, c. 755; 2000, cc. 271, 936; 2001, cc. 408, 426; 2003, c. 635; 2008, cc. 41, 466; 2012, cc. 6, 125; 2013, c. 282; 2019, c. 279.