Radiation Safety User's Guide - Department of Bioorganic Chemistry
Contents
1. VIL Spill Procedures When any significant spill involving radioactive materials has occurred the following general procedures will be followed 1 Attend to any contaminated and or injured personnel and remove them from the spill area 2 Alert people in the immediate area of the spill and cordon close off the spill area to exclude uninvolved personnel 3 Notify the Prefect tel 081 4714577 local 4577 mobile 0704250243 Radiation Safety Officer tel 018 4714080 local 4080 the Safety Officer tel 018 4714578 local 4578 mobile 0707570739 or call 112 and report a Radiological Emergency Specific procedures for decontaminating spills can be found in the corresponding Chemical Compound Data Sheet VIII Radioactive Material Inventory 1 Each use of radioactive material will be documented by date amount of isotope used and amount remaining in storage container 2 Ona quarterly basis the inventoried items will be reviewed updated and submitted to Radiation Safety Officer by the Authorized User or his her designee and a copy maintained for laboratory records IX Radioactive Waste Disposal Procedures Following are general considerations for managing radioactive waste 1 Segregate radioactive materials by half life and physical form Liquid and solid waste must be collected separately In addition waste must be separated based on isotope s half life waste with isotopes with half lives less than 90 days may be st2. are difficult to detect with a GM meter due to the fact that the window of the detector may stop a significant number of the beta particles depending on the energy For example Phosphorus 33 is detected with only about one tenth the efficiency of Phosphorus 32 The efficiency of GM tubes for Sulfur 35 and Carbon 14 may be even less depending on the thickness of the window Hydrogen 3 cannot be detected at all by an area survey using a GM detector and surface wipes must be used to detect its presence Area surveys shall be performed after each use of radioactivity with the exception of Hydrogen 3 Laboratory coats hands and shoes should be surveyed in addition to work surfaces Procedures to Follow When Performing Area Surveys Perform battery checks on the survey meter If acceptable set to the most sensitive scale and proceed scanning the work area For gamma emitters scan with the probe window approximately 1 inch 2 3 cm from the work surface If contamination is detected proceed with swipe tests see below For high energy beta emitters Phosphorus 32 scan the work area with the probe window approximately 1 2 inch 1 cm from the work surfaces If contamination is detected proceed with swipe tests Removable Contamination swipe Survey Wipe surveys will be performed under the following circumstances 1 whenever and wherever contamination is likely to have occurred or 2 at intervals as described under Frequency of
3. days Phosphorus 33 P 33 Bo 25 3 days Sulfur 35 S 35 g 87 4 days Todine 125 I 125 y 59 6 days Cesium 137 Cs 137 Bo 30 23 years Nickel 63 Ni 63 Bg 96 years Strontium 90 Sr 90 Bo 21 8 years Barium 133 Ba 133 y 10 5 years I General Rules The following are general rules intended to prevent internal exposure to radiation by the ingestion of radioactive materials to provide for the security of radioactive materials against loss or theft and to assure that members of the general public are not unnecessarily exposed to radiation as a consequence of the research activities of the laboratory 1 Do not eat drink smoke or apply cosmetics in laboratory areas 2 Do not store food or beverages in laboratory refrigerators or storage areas 3 Wear a laboratory coat when working with radioactive materials and leave it in the laboratory when work is completed 4 Wear your personal dosimeter i e film badge finger ring when applicable 5 Never pipette radioactive materials using mouth suction 6 Wear protective gloves when working with radioactive materials 7 Work in a fume hood when using potentially volatile materials i e Sulfur 35 8 When radioactive material is in use it must be kept under surveillance If it is not in use it must be secured in a locked cabinet box or refrigerator The door s of any laboratory room containing any amount of unsecured radioactive material must be locked if no one is pres
4. 7 Cs 137 Chromium 51 Cr 51 Iodine 125 1 125 or other gamma emitters are issued whole body dosimeters unless directed otherwise by Radiation Safety Officer Natalia Pavlenko Stralskydd Uppsala biomedicinska centrum BMC E post Natalia Pavlenko bmc uu se Telefon 018 471 40 80 2 Laboratories using Phosphorus 32 P 32 or other energetic beta emitters are issued whole body and finger ring dosimeters unless otherwise directed by Radiation Safety Officer 3 Laboratories using only tritium H 3 Carbon 14 C 14 Phosphorus 33 P 33 Sulfur 35 S 35 and or Calcitum 45 Ca 45 do not require external personnel monitoring and will not be issued badges 4 Note If members of a laboratory typically accrue less than 2 of the applicable occupational dose limits less than 100 mrem deep dose or 1 000 mrem extremity dose for a 12 month period they may have their dosimeters discontinued Communication with the laboratory must confirm that there are no anticipated changes in the types and amounts of radioactive materials used in experiments or major changes in experimental protocols If such changes are anticipated personnel monitoring may be restored The RSO will justify cancellation or restoration of the dosimetry program in the lab IV Ordering Radioactive Material The following procedures for ordering radioactive material will be followed 1 All orders for radioactive material will be approved by the Prefect and or Radiatio
5. Laboratory Surveys The presence of low energy beta emitters such as Hydrogen 3 Carbon 14 Phosphorus 33 Sulfur 35 may be difficult to detect with a GM meter therefore swipe tests should be used to determine the presence of possible contamination Procedures to Follow When Performing Surface Swipe Surveys Radioactive material labeling may be conducted ONLY in the dedicated room at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and the enzymatic reactions are conducted at room B9 520b at the bench labeled with the Radioactivity sign Swipe surveys should be performed on areas such as workbenches sinks refrigerator door handles and floors where radioactive material is used or stored Take swipes on benches and floor surfaces at locations indicated on the laboratory floor plan Use dry filter paper circles cotton tipped swabs or other materials approved by the RSO Label each swipe with the location code identified on lab floor plan then rub an area approximately 100 cm about 4 x 4 inches Count the swipes in the appropriate instrument and calculate net activity in disintegrations per minute dpm If this laboratory is equipped with counters that measure dpm directly then the net activity is simply the gross dpm minus background dpm Note Refer to manufacturer s documentation on the instrument for the correct calibration factors to convert cpm to dpm Action Levels for Contamination If amounts of contamination in excess of t
6. Uppsala University Department of Bioorganic Chemistry Radiation Safety User s Guide Adopted By Jyoti Chattopadhyaya Prefect Oleksandr Plashkevych Safety Officer Radiation Safety User s Guide Introduction This guide was written to give a better understanding of radiation safety issues at the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry Uppsala University and management of the program in compliance with state regulations and University policy This guide is based on the University of Arkansas Radiation Safety Manual and an exchange of ideas with authorized users and experts in this area Objectives The goal of the guide is to assist researchers in the application of the Uppsala University radiation safety program in their laboratories It serves as a quick reference to provide instruction to workers regarding the safe use of radioactivity Overview of the radiation safety program except X ray program in campus The most commonly used isotopes on the Uppsala University campus are shown in Table 1 Most of the isotopes are purely B emitters I 125 is only used in the Animal and Poultry Science building The isotopes Cs 137 and Ba 133 are used as an external source in liquid scintillation counters LSC Table 1 Commonly Used Radioactive Materials on Uppsala University campus Isotope Decay mode Half life Tritium H 3 Bo 12 3 years Carbon 14 C 14 g 5730 years Phosphorus 32 P 32 Bo 14 3
7. ent 9 Radioactive waste must not be placed in waste containers intended for non radioactive trash in any amount 10 Radioactive waste must not be discharged into the sanitary sewer without approval of the Radiation Safety Officer Natalia Pavlenko stralskyddskemist Uppsala biomedicinska centrum BMC E post Natalia Pavlenko bmc uu se Telefon 018 471 40 80 11 Individuals working with radioactive iodine in any form shall have thyroid burden measurements performed II Training of Laboratory Workers Each lab must maintain documentation for each of the following required trainings for review by the Radiation Safety Officer 1 All new laboratory workers that work with radioactive materials or radiation sources must complete Radiation Safety Orientation for Laboratory Workers before they can begin working with radioactive materials This is a one time requirement The Safety Officer offers this training periodically on the need to know basis 2 All Authorized Users will provide on the job instructions specific to the need of this Laboratory and ensure that each worker is familiar with written laboratory procedures and the institutional policies II Personnel Dosimetry Film Badges Personnel working in research laboratories in the University are monitored with whole body dosimeters and or finger ring dosimeters Dosimeters are generally issued and returned on a quarterly basis 1 Laboratories using the Cestum 13
8. n Safety Officer 5 All shipments are delivered to the organic chemistry laboratory All purchases should be registered in our central database of chemicals located at boc9 computer in room B9 530b and write a record in the Purchase list of chemicals journal located in room B9 530b V Receiving Radioactive Material Shipments Upon receiving shipments of radioactive material in the laboratory these procedures will be followed 1 The package should be received by a person who is knowledgeable about the receipt storage and security of radioactive material 2 Before opening the outer package put on protective gloves Inspect the shipping papers and the identification information on the inner vial 3 Verify that the contents of the inner package agree in name and quantity with the information on the packing slip 4 If the stated contents of the shipment vial do not match the information on the shipping papers or the shipment is otherwise defective notify the supplier 5 Store the material in a secure location Radioactive material shall be locked up when not in use 6 Survey the packing material If no activity is detected obliterate all radiation symbols and discard or recycle as normal trash VI Performing Laboratory Surveys Frequency of Laboratory Surveys In order to ensure compliance with state regulations survey the work and storage areas including waste storage areas after each lab experiment utilizing isoto
9. ored together and those with half lives more than 90 days may be stored together All liquid containers must have secondary containers to contain potential spills 2 Sharps needles scalpels broken glass etc must be contained in puncture resistant containers before being placed in waste barrels 3 Do not place lead pigs in waste barrels 4 Aqueous waste must be treated to attain a pH between 5 and 9 before disposal 5 Liquid containers should be only 2 3 full and the cap should be tightly closed 6 Gloves worn during the handling of radioactive materials will be removed before handling paperwork 7 Wastes may be stored in a designated area of the lab until pick up disposed at the designated areas at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology BMC Uppsala University X Equipment Renovations and Closing Out the Laboratory 1 Liquid scintillation counters gamma counters and certain gas chromatographs may contain radiation sources These instruments should not be moved transferred sold or disposed of without first consulting the Radiation Safety Officer 2 Ifa laboratory is to be closed or renovated the Authorized User for the laboratory shall notify the Radiation Safety Officer of this fact four weeks prior to the anticipated closure date 3 Before closure or renovation all usable radioactive materials must be disposed of transferred or secured elsewhere and all radioactive waste must be removed from the laboratory
10. pes Make sure to record results of the surveys in lab records If no work with isotopes has been performed and previous swipes surveys indicate no contamination enter no use in place of survey data monthly Ifa lab used multiple isotopes in one day swipes surveys can be taken at the end of the usage Control of Contamination Contamination is radioactive material that has been spilled or otherwise inadvertently removed from its container into the environment Contamination represents both an external hazard from gamma and high energy beta emitters and an internal hazard from ingestion or inhalation This section reviews the principles of detecting and assessing contamination from radioisotopes used in this laboratory Performing Area Surveys with Geiger Mueller GM Survey Meters Surface contamination of most radioactive materials can be located easily by scanning with a GM meter equipped with a thin end window or pancake detector Upon finding a contaminated spot a wipe or smear of the area counted in an appropriate counting system usually a liquid scintillation counter will determine removable activity In general energetic beta emitters like Phosphorus 32 can be detected with a GM meter The presence of low energy beta emitters such as Hydrogen 3 Carbon 14 Phosphorus 33 Sulfur 35 may be difficult to detect with a GM meter therefore swipe tests should be used to determine the presence of possible contamination These isotopes
11. rooms 4 Suitability of return of the laboratory to general use must be documented as a non contaminated area by survey i e swipes GM XI Contact Information Contact the Prefect tel 081 4714577 local 4577 mobile 0704250243 Radiation Safety Officer tel 018 4714080 local 4080 the Safety Officer tel 018 4714578 local 4578 mobile 0707570739 if you have any question To contact by fax dial 018 55 44 95 To contact by phone dial 018 4714577 For emergencies or urgent issues outside normal business hours contact the Prefect tel 081 4714577 local 4577 mobile 0704250243 Radiation Safety Officer tel 018 4714080 local 4080 the Safety Officer tel 018 4714578 local 4578 mobile 0707570739 or call 112 and report a Radiological Emergency
12. wo times above background levels are detected the area must be decontaminated Keep all records of swipe results before and after decontamination Maintaining Records of Laboratory Surveys Radioactive material labeling may be conducted ONLY in the dedicated room at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and the enzymatic reactions are conducted at room B9 520b at the bench labeled with the Radioactivity sign This area used will be used to indicate where routine numbered swipe tests are to be performed Routine swipe results will be recorded and stored in an easily accessible manner Records must include the following 1 Location date and identification of equipment used including the serial number and pertinent counting efficiencies 2 Name of person conducting the survey 3 Drawing of area surveyed identifying relevant features such as active storage areas active waste areas etc 4 Measured exposure rates keyed to location on the drawing point out rates that require corrective action 5 Detected contamination levels keyed to locations on drawing 6 Corrective action taken in the case of contamination or excessive exposure rates reduced contamination levels or exposure rates after corrective action and any appropriate comments 7 Maps diagrams of all areas where contamination is found will be permanently maintained on file by the Radioactivity Safety Office Safety Officer for the duration of the license
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