All orders for radioactive isotopes must be placed through Cathy Ekstrom, MBH 330. Order requests may be submitted on your departmental order form or via email.
Delivery will accompanied by a usage log. The usage log is to be maintained accurately by the licensed user, kept in a readily accessible location, and returned to Cathy Ekstrom as soon as the licensed material has been fully used.
Procedure for Receiving Shipments of Radioactive Isotopes
Radioactive orders should be unpacked and monitored by the Radiation Safety Technician, the Radiation Safety Officer, or a licensed user following these procedures:
1. Put on gloves to prevent hand contamination.
2. Within 3 hours of receipt, visually inspect the package for any sign of damage (e.g., wet or crushed). If damage is noted, stop the procedure, place the package on an absorbent mat (or otherwise contain it), and notify the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).
3. Measure the exposure rate from the package at 1 meter and at the package surface. If it is higher than expected, stop and notify the RSO. (The "transport index" noted on packages with "Yellow II" or "Yellow III" labels is the approximate dose rate you should expect to read, in millirem per hour, at 1 meter from the package surface (10 CFR 71.4); the surface dose rate for such packages should not exceed 200 millirem per hour. The dose rate from packages with "White I" labels should be less than 0.5 millirem per hour at the package surface. (49 CFR 172.403)
4. Open the package with the following precautionary steps:
a. Remove the packing slip.
b. Open the outer package following the supplier's instructions, if provided.
c. Open the inner package and verify that the contents agree with the packing slip.
d. Check the integrity of the final source container. Look for broken seals or vials, loss of liquid, condensation, or discoloration of the packing material.
e. If anything is other than expected, stop and notify the RSO.
5. If there is any reason to suspect contamination, wipe the external surface of the isotope container and remove the wipe sample to a low-background area. Assay the wipe sample in a LSC to determine if there is any removable radioactivity. Take precautions against the potential spread of contamination.
6. Ensure that the material received is the material that was ordered.
7. Monitor the packing material and the empty packages for contamination with a radiation detection survey meter before discarding.
8. Make a record of the receipt for your inventory. Fill out and forward the Record of Isotope Receipt and Monitoring form to Cathy Ekstrom, MBH 330.