No. 9 - February 14, 2006

Control of Sealed Radioactive Material Sources

There may be some confusion about sealed radioactive sources, where they are allowed to be used, and the requirements for control and tracking.

Radioactive material, whether in sealed sources or unsealed, dispersible forms may only be used at locations specified in our radioactive materials licenses. For the main Specific License of Broad Scope, locations only on the campus proper, (campus footprint), and limited, specific, buildings in Research Park which are identified separately on the license, are approved for the use of radioactive material.

You cannot take radioactive material off site without concurrence from our office. Most materials must be shipped, and this requires documentation, specific training and assistance from our office. In some cases, our office can help you move material between nearby locations such as the Campus and Research Park . Do not move these materials in your personal vehicles. Besides risking large DOT fines; if you read the fine print in your car insurance, it is invalidated if you transport such radioactive materials.

As a condition of our license we are required to inventory and maintain records of all sealed sources. We do not really have "exempt" sources. Some are exempt from being leak tested, but they are not exempt from proper use, control and tracking. In some cases sources are integral to equipment and may not have an external label. The manufacturer's instructions may state they are "exempt" from leak testing, but they are not exempt from tracking and control. Unfortunately, misinterpreted or poor instructions in the manufacturer's information does not exempt or excuse us from receiving violations for lack of knowledge of the presence of these sources and proper tracking and control.

Examples of sources we track and require manufacturer's information may not be immediately obvious: Anti-static sources for sensitive analytical scales such as Po-210, Ni-63 in gas chromatograph ECDs, Kr-85 static eliminators, Ba-133 or Ra-226 in Liquid Scintillation Counters, or "check sources" attached to some radiation survey meters. We also track specialized Exit Signs that have H-3.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact our office.

Karen Langley

02/14/06