IntroductionPurchasingRadioactive
Materials Delivery AddressStorage
of Radioactive MaterialsUse
of Radioactive MaterialsDesignated
AreasShieldingRadioactive
Materials InventoryTransfer
of Radioactive MaterialsManagement of
radioactive materials and radiation is the responsibility of the
Principal
Investigator (PI) under whose license the material/machine is being
used. Ultimately, however, it is the
responsibility
of each member of the laboratory to maintain safe storage and use of
the
radioactive materials and machines in their area. By
using correct procedures to order, store,
and dispose of radionuclides, sealed sources, and radiation producing
machines,
each researcher is helping to implement the ALARA Program and ensure
safety at
the
To Receive Radioactive
Materials and/or Radiation-producing
Machines:
1.
Ensure that
the Laboratory License is obtained
and includes the appropriate authorization for the radionuclide(s) or
radiation-producing machine(s)
2.
All deliveries
must be through Health Physics (see address below)
3.
All items must
be purchased using a Purchase Request
(PR) or Standing Purchase Order
(SPO)
4.
The
University’s A Card or any other
credit/debit cards are not
permitted for these purchases
Laboratories
wishing
to order radioactive materials and/or a radiation-producing machine
must first
obtain a license for the specific product from the Radiation Safety
Officer
(RSO) and the Radiation Safety Committee (RSC).
Radioactive materials will not be delivered
to laboratories if the material will cause the license limit to be
exceeded. If a limit is exceeded, a
license amendment
will be required and may prevent timely delivery. Please
refer to the Laboratory Licensing
chapter. The PI and laboratory staff
members who will be using radioactive materials and/or radiation must
complete
Radiation Safety Training prior to ordering the product.
Please refer to the Training
chapter.
Radioactive
materials
and radiation-producing machines may only be ordered using a Purchase
Request
(PR)/Standing Purchase Order (SPO). In
most cases, these are established by individual departments through the
All
radioactive
materials and sources must be delivered to Health Physics and checked
for
contamination prior to delivery to the receiving laboratory unless
special
arrangements have been approved in advance by Health Physics. Radionuclide stock vials contaminated at a
level of 1,000 dpm/100 cm2 or less will be delivered to the
laboratory. Laboratory personnel will be
notified of the contamination.
Radionuclide stock vials contaminated at a level of 10,000
dpm/100 cm2
or above will not be delivered to the laboratory. Laboratory
personnel will be notified of the
contamination level and that a replacement will be necessary. It is the laboratory’s responsibility to
arrange for a replacement from the manufacturer.
Radioactive
materials
and/or radiation-producing machines that are donated, received as
gifts, or
transferred from other institutions must be delivered through Health
Physics. Radiation-producing machines may
be delivered
to the area of use as long as prior notification has been made to
Health
Physics.
Radioactive Materials
Delivery “Ship To” Address:
Environmental
Health and
Health Physics
ATTN: (PI’s Name)
All
freezers and
other equipment used to store radioactive materials must have a Caution Radioactive Materials sign or
label. Radioactive materials should be
stored only in areas properly marked and approved for their use. Please refer to the Laboratory Licensing
chapter or contact Health Physics at (303) 492-6523 for further
information.
Each
laboratory must
assure security of radioactive materials and/or radiation-producing
machines. This may require locking of
laboratory doors or storage freezers/refrigerators depending on use and
accessibility of the area.
Appropriate shielding should be used with each experiment. For 32P and other strong beta emitters, ¼ inch of plexiglas is appropriate. The use of lead for 32P is discouraged because it produces Bremmstrahlung x-rays.
Health
Physics
provides a Radioactive Materials
Inventory to users of unsealed radioactive materials.
See Appendix
D for a sample Radioactive Materials Inventory form.
This inventory should be kept on the outside
of the main storage freezer/refrigerator/area in each laboratory. As a vial of radionuclide is used and
disposed, the identification number on the outside of the pig should be
crossed
off the inventory. Enter the date and
initials of the individual disposing of the item being crossed off the
inventory.
At
least quarterly,
the vials physically present in the freezer/refrigerator/area should be
compared with the printed inventory to ensure accuracy.
Vials which are no longer being used or have
decayed too far for use should be placed in an appropriate waste
container and
removed from the inventory list. The
inventory sheet is collected by Health Physics to update the
laboratory’s
possession levels.
It
is a good practice
to dispose of radioactive materials which are more than one or two
years old,
especially those bound to nuclides and proteins. Some
bound radioactive materials and their
chemical carriers have an effective “shelf-life” that may be exceeded. With certain long-lived radionuclides,
especially
tritium, the practice of periodically purging them helps reduce
contamination
problems in the storage area.
Radioactive
materials
or radiation-producing machines may be transferred to another appropriately
licensed laboratory in the same building. If
the recipient is not licensed for the
material being received, a license amendment will be necessary prior to
the
transfer. See the Laboratory Licensing
chapter. Transfers between buildings
must be arranged through Health Physics to ensure safe handling and
transport. The radioactive material,
sealed source, or machine must be transferred to the license and
written on the
Radioactive Materials Inventory of
the recipient.
