Radioactive materials safety procedures

ALARA principle time, distance, and shielding. We should minimize our time working with radioactive materials, maximize the distance between us and the source of radiation, and use proper shielding to minimize our exposure. Finally, we must make sure that we understand and follow all the facility procedures and regulations regarding the use of radioactive materials so that our safety and that of our patients are assured. 

In any case, and albeit the different regulation in different countries, as a general principle only licensed personnel working in an authorized facility are authorized to handle and use radiopharmaceuticals. Facilities and procedures are subject to periodic inspection by official radiation safety officers that control production and handling of radioactive material, its transportation, proper use, as well as personnel dosimetry and radioactive waste disposal. 

Whenever possible, all materials should be prepared sterile and solutions passed through 0.22-p filters. All chemical and radioactive materials and waste are to be handled and discarded in accordance with each individual s current institutional safety procedures. 

Employees who ship hazardous material, including radioactive material, must have hazmat training to be able to recognize and identify hazardous material, to conduct their specific functions, and to enforce safety procedures to protect the public. The training is given to a new employee within 90 days of employment and then repeated every 3 years. The training is provided by the employer or by other public or private sources, and a record of training must be maintained. 

This assay is based on the previously published procedure (10). It includes the use of ATP radiolabeled with which has a half-life of 14 days. It is important to use the [a- P]ATP within a week and a half after receiving it. Otherwise the radioactive levels become too low to perform the assay. Since P is a p-emitter, adequate shielding has to be used to protect against exposure. Consult with your institution s radiation safety office to follow safety precautions for your work place regarding use, disposal, and storage of radioactive material. 

Each worker in the laboratory must undergo initial radiation safety training that prepares him/her to work with radioactive materials. Refresher training must brief the employee about changes to operating procedures and regulatory requirements. 

Universal precautions/OSHA regulations for bloodborne pathogens contacts Chemical, radioactive materials, biological toxins spills and releases Corporate institutional generic safety policies/procedures as applicable for ... 

Many laboratories conduct operations which do not require the use of radioactive materials, in the same space as those in which radioactive materials are employed. In many of these instances, different personnel are employed in the two programs. Nonusers of radioisotopes should be made sufficiently aware of the procedures required for the safe, legal use of radiation so that they will neither inadvertently violate any safety requirements for the use of byproduct radioactive materials, nor misunderstand any actions of the employees involved with radiation. While the licensed users of radioactive materials are present, they can and must take precautions to avoid exposing the other persons in the laboratory unnecessarily to radiation, but when they are not present, the nonusers need to be aware of the areas where radioactive sources and waste are stored and areas they should avoid if there is any possibility of contamination. If proper security procedures are followed, the latter should theoretically not be possible. Any area containing radioactive materials should be clearly marked with signs bearing the radiation symbol and the label ... 

The exemption values were derived by using a variety of exposure scenarios and pathways that did not explicitly address the transport of radioactive material. Additional calculations were performed for transport specific scenarios [7]. These transport specific exemption values were then compared with the values in the Basic Safety Standards. It was concluded that the relatively small differences between both sets did not jnstify the incorporation into the Regulations of a set of exemption values different from that in the Basic Safety Standards, given that the use of different exemption values in various practices may give rise to problems at interfaces and may cause legal and procedural complications. 

All manipulations and procedures with radioactive material presented below have to be performed in appropriately shielded ffime hoods or glove boxes. In addition, all preparations delivered for human application must meet good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards. Several constraints originating from these conventions should, however, be modified for practicability and radiation safety of personnel. 

To achieve the Safety Objectives, measures need to be taken to control radiation exposure in all operational states to levels as low as reasonably achievable and to minimize the likelihood of an accident that might lead to the loss of normal control of the source of radiation. Nevertheless, accidents can happen. Measures are therefore required to ensure that any radiological consequences are mitigated. Such measures include on-site accident management procedures and off-site intervention measures in order to mitigate radiation exposure after an accident has occurred. The greater the potential hazard from an uncontrolled release of radioactive material, the lower the likelihood must be of its occurrence. 

When all else fails, a liquid level in a vessel can be found with a portable gamma-ray source and a Geiger counter-type radiation receiver. Most refineries have personnel licensed to handle radioactive materials in connection with X-ray inspection of process piping. Their equipment can be used, along with the proper radiation receiver, to locate a liquid level in a vessel accurately. Obviously, this is a procedure that will not be used routinely. Note that this can create a potential safety hazard to operators unfamiliar with the dangers of exposure to radioactive materials. 

Step 2 The safety classification of structures, systems and components reflects the internal postulated events and external events as set forth in the safety analysis of the plant (box (3) of Fig. 1). The definition of the defence in depth levels and barriers [2], the application of the single failure criterion and the assessment of the potential for common cause failures are identified in box (2) of Fig. 1 [19], bearing in mind the categorization of the facility. Next is the evaluation of the need for emergency procedures, both on and off the site. This is followed by identification of the internal events to be considered as a consequence of an external event or as contemporaneous to an external event, and therefore of the safety functions to be maintained in case of an external event (e.g. cooling of radioactive material, reactivity control, confinement). 

---