42 USC § 10003 - Definitions

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s10003"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 10003 - Definitions"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "10003"
section_name: "Definitions"
chapter_number: 107
chapter_name: "CONSUMER-PATIENT RADIATION HEALTH AND SAFETY"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 97–35, title IX, § 978, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 599.)"
---


# § 10003. Definitions

Unless otherwise expressly provided, for purposes of this chapter, the term—

**(1)** “radiation” means ionizing and nonionizing radiation in amounts beyond normal background levels from sources such as medical and dental radiologic procedures;

**(2)** “radiologic procedure” means any procedure or article intended for use in—

that achieves its intended purpose through the emission of radiation;

**(A)** the diagnosis of disease or other medical or dental conditions in humans (including diagnostic X-rays or nuclear medicine procedures); or

**(B)** the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans;

**(3)** “radiologic equipment” means any radiation electronic product which emits or detects radiation and which is used or intended for use to—

that achieves its intended purpose through the emission or detection of radiation;

**(A)** diagnose disease or other medical or dental conditions (including diagnostic X-ray equipment); or

**(B)** cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease in humans;

**(4)** “practitioner” means any licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, or chiropractic, who prescribes radiologic procedures for other persons;

**(5)** “persons who administer radiologic procedures” means any person, other than a practitioner, who intentionally administers radiation to other persons for medical purposes, and includes medical radiologic technologists (including dental hygienists and assistants), radiation therapy technologists, and nuclear medicine technologists;

**(6)** “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and

**(7)** “State” means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 97–35, title IX, § 978, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 599.)

## Executive Documents

### Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding , Territories and Insular Possessions.