Radioactive material labeling requirement

Label all glassware and equipment that will be used with special adhesive tape labeled Radioactive. Plan the experiment so that a minimal number of transfers of radioactive materials is required. This will reduce the amount of contaminated glassware. 

Generally, labeled compounds are prepared by procedures which introduce the radionuchde at a late stage of the synthesis. This allows for maximum radiochemical yields, and reduces the handling time of radioactive material. When dealing with short half-life isotopes, a primary consideration is the time required to conduct synthetic procedures and purification methods. 

Many fluorinations by electropositive fluorine reagents produce a-fluoro carbonyl compounds as the final result An extensive review exists on the preparation of a-fiuorocarbonyl compounds [101 Also, electropositive reagents are used widely in the preparation of F-labeled radioactive materials required in positron etmssion tomography for biomedical research Excellent reviews are available on fluonne-18 labeling [//, 72]. 

When specifically labelled compounds are required, direct chemical synthesis may be necessary. The standard techniques of preparative chemistry are used, suitably modified for small-scale work with radioactive materials. The starting material is tritium gas which can be obtained at greater than 98% isotopic abundance. Tritiated water can be made either by catalytic oxidation over palladium or by reduction of a metal oxide ... 

Subject to the Radioactive Substances Act 1984 and enforced by the Department of Transport. They impose requirements concerning the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive materials and the accompanying documentation. 

Approved requirements for the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive material by rails A guide to the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 A guide to the Work in Compressed Air Regulations 1996... 

Tracers have been used to label fluids in order to track fluid movement and monitor chemical changes of the injected fluid. Radioactive materials are one class of commonly used tracers. These tracers have several drawbacks. One drawback is that they require special handling because of the danger posed to personnel and the environment. Another drawback is the alteration by the radioactive materials of the natural isotope ratio indigenous to the reservoir— thereby interfering with scientific analysis of the reservoir fluid characteristics. In addition, the half life of radioactive tracers tends to be either too long or too short for practical use. 

This paper is the only one in the liquid chromatography portion of this symposium which will attempt to deal with chromatography specifically from the viewpoint of the pesticide metabolism chemist. A residue analyst knows what compound he must analyze for, and develops his method with the properties of that substance in mind. On the other hand, the pesticide metabolism chemist has a different problem. At the conclusion of the treatment, exposure, and harvest phases of a radiolabeled metabolism study, he divides his material into appropriate samples, and extracts each sample with selected solvents to obtain the radioactive materials in soluble form. Typically these extracts consist of low levels (ppm) of carbon-14 labeled metabolites in a complicated mixture of normal natural products from the plant, animal, or soil source. The identity of each metabolite is unknown, and each must be isolated from the natural background and from other labeled metabolites in sufficient quantity and in adequate purity for identification studies, usually by mass spectrometry. The situation is rather like looking for the proverbial "needle in the haystack" when one does not know the size, shape,or composition of the needle, or even how many needles there are in the stack. At this point a separation technique must be selected with certain important requirements in mind. 

Cells are labeled in tissue culture (the use of multiwell plates is convenient for this type of experiments at least triplicates per each point of the experiment are prepared) by adding the desired amount of radioactivity, for the required length of time 0.5-1.0 /u.Ci/ml for long-term (24—40 h) labeling, 2.0-5.0 /rCi/ml for short (0.5-2 h) pulse labeling. At the end of the labeling time, the radioactive medium is removed, and the cell monolayers rinsed three times with ice-cold PBS. Both the medium and the washes have to be disposed of according to biosafety rules. Cell monolayers are then incubated at 4°C with ice-cold 10% TCA, for 15-30 min, to remove radioactivity present in the cells, not incorporated into DNA. Next, they are rinsed once with ice-cold 5% TCA, and finally they are solubilized with 0.5 M NaOH for several hours. The solubilized material is then transferred into scintillation vials, neutralized by the addition of HCl, diluted with at least 10 volumes of the scintillation cocktail. 

Amounts of radioactive material are usually expressed in units of activity, the rate of radioactive decay. The accepted unit is the curie (Ci) and its metric multiples and fractions, the mega, kilo, milli-, and microcurie. A curie is 3.73 X1010disintegrations per sec. A common unit is millicuries per millimole. Packaging and shipment of radioactive materials, which are highly toxic, must be in accord with official requirements. Consult IATA and DOT shipping regulations for labeling and other instructions. 

Figure 9.7. Three types of US DOT labels required for transportation of radioactive materials.

Biological Collection. Refer to USACHPPM s TG No. 211 for radiobioassay collection, labeling, and shipping requirements. If the patient urinates, the urine should be saved for analysis for radiological contamination. Normal urinalyses can be done on portions of the sample with safety, but the laboratory should be notified that there is a potential contamination with radioactive material. It is essential that the laboratory keep a record of the volumes of urine so those appropriate laboratories can make later calculations of estimated body burdens of radioactive materials. Fecal samples should also be taken and retained in addition to nose blows and swabs. 

Special Labeling Requirements for Etiologic ents. Oxygen, Chlorine, and Radioactive Materials Special labeling requirements exist for etiologic agents, oxygen, chlorine, and radioactive materials, certain of which operate to impose additional requirements while others establish exceptions from otherwise applicable requirements. 

Freight containers with capacities of less than 640 cubic feet need not be placarded when containing hazardous materials if the container is labeled in accordance with Subpart E of Part 172 and the mode of transpK)rtation is other than by air. When air transportation is involved, such containers must be placarded with one placard, unless the container is labeled in accordance with Section 172.406(e)(3), or contains radioactive materials requiring the RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III label and is placarded with one RADIOACTIVE placard and is labeled in accordance with Section 172.406(e). 

Labels may, however, be printed on or placed on a securely affixed tag, or may be affixed by other suitable means to a package that contains no radioactive material and which either (a) has dimensions less than those of the required label, (b) is a compressed gas cylinder, or (c) is a package which has such an irregular surface that a label cannot be satisfactorily affixed. 

---