Licensed users are responsible for periodic checks of facilities under their control and for keeping up-to-date records of such checks. Records should include a diagram of the laboratory and should conform, in format, to the example in Appendix A. These records are to be forwarded to the Radiation Safety Officer each June. Any spill or emergency shall be reported immediately to the Radiation Safety Officer.

Monitoring will include scintillation counting of ethanol (95%)-soaked swabs of “control,” work, and prep areas immediately following any occasional usage. Areas used occasionally for radioactive materials shall not be used for any other purpose until swab test indicates the level of radioactive contamination is below 22 dpm/cm². If the level of contamination is above this level, the area shall be cleaned with a commercial decontaminating agent and retested. Swabs of sites used routinely for radioisotope work should be obtained periodically, as usage dictates, but in any case shall be done no less frequently than once per month during a usage period. Sites used routinely for isotope work shall be clearly designated by appropriate signage, and should not be used for other purposes.

A. Film badges must be worn by all users of “hard” emitters: 24 Na, 32 P, 42 K, 54 Mn, 86 Rb, and 125 I . A film badge must be obtained from Cathy Ekstrom before “hard” emitters are ordered. Badges should be developed and replaced periodically, as usage dictates, but no less frequently than once every three months.

B. Users of tritiated compounds must adopt safety and monitoring procedures in conformity with “Criteria For Establishing a Tritium Bioassay Program” (see RSO for copy of NRC publication). The most conservative guidelines indicate that urine bioassays should be performed when more than 10 mCi of HTO or 1 mCi of tritiated biochemical compounds are handled at any one time. Persons anticipating the use of mCi quantities of tritiated compounds should consult with the RSO.

In addition to the monitoring records discussed above, licensed users must keep a log of each isotope received. The log shall identify the date and PO number of each isotope received; the amount and form received; how much was used in each experiment; and the final disposition as gaseous, liquid, or solid waste. These logs are to be forwarded to the RSO when the isotope has been consumed, and a brief summary of radioisotope usage during each summer and subsequent academic year should be forwarded to the RSO in June.