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Radiation producing equipment is covered by a combination of federal, state, and University safety review standards. It then becomes necessary to track and inventory these devices to assure safe installation and operation. The mechanism for tracking is being reviewed. Currently, it consists primarily of device registrations, word-of-mouth, and discoveries made through routine facility visits. Any notice of ownership, installation or intent will be greatly appreciated.
Lab sign humor - Signs seen at various universities THIS COLD ROOM IS NOT EXPLOSION PROOF (handmade addition) ALL EXPLOSIONS MUST BE CARRIED OUT IN APPROVED AREAS signs found on refrigerators NO FOOD!! This refrigerator contains lots of toxic, contagious, nasty, ugly, putrid, repulsive biological and chemical stuff. If you put food in here you will become thoroughly depressed. PUT YOUR FOOD HERE!! This is a very nice, clean, cool, pleasant place to store your favorite lunch. However, this in only intended as a short-term storage facility. Please do not allow your food to transmogrify. Thank you. "Smart" Question Section: Q: WE ARE PLANNING TO USE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL IN ROOMS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY AUTHORIZED TO OUR USE. HOW DO WE INCLUDE THESE ROOMS IN OUR AUTHORIZATION? A: Send a letter or email to the Radiation Safety Office. Include a clear identification of the room (bldg., number, etc.) Be sure to identify the Authorized User. If you are using anything that requires a hood, send the hood information (date last checked, face velocity, etc.). We will act promptly to add the requested rooms. Please do not begin to use radiation sources in a new room until it is approved! Q: MAY OUR LAB USE THE SEWER AS A MEANS OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL? A: Yes, but this must be SPECIFICALLY requested by the Authorized User and approved in advance. All other release of waste to the sewer is prohibited. Detailed records (radionuclide(s), activity, chemical form, and date of release) must be kept. Only aqueous waste, free of hazardous chemicals and solids may be released. Also any sink used as the release point must not be used for washing of food-related items, hands, dishes, etc. The Radiation Safety Office picks up the waste for free and keeps all the records, so it is a good deal to just request a pickup. Q: CAN WE USE BIOHAZARD BAGS AS BENCH BAGS FOR RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS? A: Biohazard bags are not to be put into the radioactive waste containers. If, in fact, your lab does create waste that is both biohazardous and radioactive, the biohazard bag is to be secured in a radioactive waste bag after being processed through an approved sterilization procedure and then put into the radioactive waste. Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) Disposal – Fred Rawlings, Asst. RSO It would really be nice to head this article with a snappy title, but that’s the problem with Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW). It’s hard to sound upbeat and perky when you talk about it. At a recent conference, however, LLRW took center stage. That’s because it is becoming harder and harder to properly dispose of it. The epicenter of the discussion is Barnwell, South Carolina. Barnwell is a small town with the distinction of being the repository of Low Level Radioactive Waste that is generated in places like the Laboratories of the University of Kentucky. If you are using radionuclides with a half –life of greater than 90 days, then the waste generated in your lab has ended up in concrete at the site in Barnwell. There’s good news and bad news in this story. The good news is that a new company has taken over administration of the site, and it will be available for waste shipments until 2008. The bad news is that the total volume of waste that will be accepted will be cut in half next year. Then it will be cut about in half the following year. And so on, and so on. Along with this diminishing capacity, there will be increased demand as several Nuclear Power Plants in the Northeast decommission and send large volumes to the site. This gives us a clear mandate at UK Radiation Safety. We need to clear out as many old and non-utilized sources as possible in the next year. There are some sources that we just won’t be able to get rid of after Barnwell closes, so now is the time. Take a look around the lab and see if there aren’t a few vials or sealed sources that you could part with. Otherwise, I guess we can put them in the cornerstones of a few unnamed buildings going up around here. Open in 5,700 years. TRIVIA TIME THE HOSPITAL STAFF The hospital staff consists of 16 doctors and nurses, including me. The following facts apply to the staff members; whether you include me or not does not make any difference. The staff consists of:
ANSWER NEXT TIME OR ON REQUEST! Do Those Wipe Surveys!! The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently published a report informing licensees of three recent incidents resulting in offsite contamination. In two of the incidents, a graduate student was working with P-32 on the weekend. In the first P-32 incident, the student unknowingly contaminated the floor of the lab and spread the contamination throughout the building and everywhere he went that day. In the second incident involving P-32, the student unknowingly contaminated himself. Contamination was spread in his car, at his church and at several residences. If the students in both incidents had conducted an operational survey of the area, which is required by all labs at UK, and checked themselves before leaving the lab, the contamination would have been found and contained. In the third incident, C-14 was spread by a researcher who was himself contaminated. He was looking for materials in a freezer and unknowingly handled the C-14 because it was not properly labeled. This could have been avoided if the freezer and the radioactive material were properly labeled.Following any spill of radioactive materials, no matter how small the quantity, lab personnel should confirm, by survey, that the contamination was confined and not spread to areas outside the lab. Even minor spills can result in wide spread contamination if they are not handled properly. Please feel free to call Radiation Safety at any time for assistance in cleaning up spills.
RADIATION SAFETY OFFICE PERSONNEL
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