8.42. Standards and codes have played an important role in engineering practice for many years. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler Code had its beginnings in the nineteenth century, for example. Presently, a large body of standards developed under the auspices of the respective engineering professional societies, including the American Nu­clear Society, are coordinated by the American National Standards Insti­tute (ANSI). However, the American Nuclear Society maintains the In­formation Center on Nuclear Standards (ICONS) for all nuclear standards, including those developed by other societies.

Federal regulations, guides, and periodicals

8.43. A great deal of technical information is provided in the regulatory literature. Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) is devoted to nuclear energy and consists of a number of parts. For example, Part 20 (10CFR20) deals with the standards for protection against radiation. The various parts of the Code of Federal Regulations, which have the force of law, are supplemented by Nuclear Regulatory Guides. These are advisory and are coordinated in some cases with engineering society standards and codes. There are several hundred published guides divided into ten cate­gories. They are revised periodically.

8.44. The U. S. Department of Energy publishes several periodicals and newsletters. For example, Nuclear Safety is a technical progress review issued four times per year.