
1 

(1) This order may be cited as the 
Radioactive Substances (Substances of Low Activity) Exemption Order 1986
and shall come into operation on 14th July 1986.
(2) This order applies to England, Wales
and Scotland.
(3) In this order—
 “the Act”
means the Radioactive Substances
Act 1960;
 “activity”,
expressed in becquerels, means the number of spontaneous
nuclear transformations occurring in a period of one second in a radioactive
substance;
 “closed source”
means an object free from patent defect which is radioactive
material solely because it consists of one or more radionuclides firmly incorporated
on or in, or sealed within, solid inert non-radioactive material so as to
prevent in normal use the dispersion of any radioactive material;
 “decay products”
means, in relation to any radionuclide, the radionuclides
succeeding it in the radioactive series in which it and they occur;
and
 “half life”
means the time taken for the activity of a radionuclide
to lose half its value by decay.
(4) In determining the activity of any solid
radioactive material or waste for the purposes of 
article 2 or 3(a)
of this order there shall be disregarded the activity of any element specified
in column 1 of Schedule 1
to this order to the extent that the activity of any such element does not
exceed the activity per gram mentioned opposite thereto in column 2 of that
Schedule.
2 
All persons are exempted from registration under 
section 1 of the Act in respect of the keeping
and use on any premises of solid radioactive material, other than a closed
source, which is substantially insoluble in water, the activity of which does
not exceed 0.4 becquerels per gram of mass.
3 
Radioactive waste of the following descriptions is excluded from
the provisions of section 6(1)
and (3) of the Act (authorisation
required to dispose of radioactive waste), namely—
(a) a solid, other than a closed source,
which is substantially insoluble in water, the activity of which, when it
becomes waste, does not exceed 0.4 becquerels per gram of mass;
(b) an organic liquid which is radioactive
solely because of the presence of carbon 14, or tritium (or both), the activity
of which, when it becomes waste, does not exceed 0.4 becquerels per millilitre;
or
(c) a gas containing one or more radionuclides
none of which, nor the decay products of which, has a half life greater than
100 seconds.
4 
The orders mentioned in Schedule 2
 to this order are hereby revoked.
Nicholas Ridley
Secretary of State for the Environment
4th June 1986Nicholas Edwards
Secretary of State for Wales
9th June 1986Malcolm Rifkind
Secretary of State for Scotland
12th June 1986
SCHEDULE 1
Article 1(4)

Column
1 Column 2
(Element) (Becquerels per gram)
Actinium 0.37
Lead
 0.74
Polonium 0.37
Protoactinium 0.37
Radium 0.37

Thorium 2.59
Uranium 11.10

SCHEDULE 2
Article 4

Orders revoked 
References
1. The Radioactive Substances (Civil
Defence) Exemption Order 1962. S.I. 1962/2641.

2. The 
Radioactive Substances (Civil Defence) Exemption (Scotland) Order 1962.
 S.I. 1962/2767
(S.127).
3. The Radioactive Substances (Thorium-X)
Exemption Order 1963. S.I. 1963/1834.

4. The 
Radioactive Substances (Attachment to Lightning Conductors) Exemption Order
1963. 
S.I. 1963/1835.
5. The Radioactive Substances
(Thorium-X) Exemption (Scotland) Order 1963.
 S.I. 1963/1880
(S.97).
6. The Radioactive Substances (Attachments
to Lightning Conductors) Exemption (Scotland) Order 1963.
 S.I. 1963/1881
(S.98).
7. The Radioactive Substances (Tokens
for Vending Machines) Exemption Order 1968.
 S.I. 1968/935
.

8. The Radioactive Substances (Vouchers for Encashment
Machines) Exemption Order 1968. S.I. 1968/936.

9. The 
Radioactive Substances (Vouchers for Encashment Machines) Exemption (Scotland)
Order 1968. 
S.I. 1968/953 (S.99).
10. The Radioactive Substances
(Tokens for Vending Machines) Exemption (Scotland) Order 1968.
 S.I. 1968/954
(S.100).
11. The Radioactive Substances (Thorium-X)
Exemption (Scotland) (Amendment) Order 1974.
 S.I. 1974/488
(S.36).
12. The Radioactive Substances (Thorium-X)
Exemption (Amendment) Order 1974. S.I. 1974/500.
