Safety Guidelines for Radiation Sources

The different types of radiation sources used in the laboratory, such as radioactive elements emitting oc-particles, /i-particles and y-rays, X-ray sources, lasers and micro-wave radiation are to be treated with caution. Some radiation sources can cause damage to cells in the body. The health and safety guidelines listed in the manuals of the radiation sources should be followed. 

The threshold limit values for exposure to various types of radiation given must not be exceeded. For electromagnetic fields at 60 Hz, the threshold limit is 10 Gauss and the limit is 1 Gauss for people with pacemakers. 

Some general precautions are avoidance of continuous exposure, practice of electrical safety and equipping entry doors to the laboratory with electronic interlocks in order to shut off the field-generating equipment upon entry. 

The implementation of safety guidelines is the responsibility of radiation safety officer and the radiation safety committee. The radiation safety officer is required to conduct periodic inspection of the locations and areas containing radioactive materials and to present a report of inspection to the safety committee for information and implementation of the recommendations. 

Some general annual dose limits for exposure to radiation are as follows  

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