Equipment Clearance

Any detectable contamination in an accessible area of the equipment must be adequately decontaminated. If detectable contamination remains after a reasonable decontamination effort, contact the Area Health Physicist.

All "Caution Radioactive Material" labels or tape must removed or defaced after successful decontamination.

The lab staff must complete a Form NIH 2683 (Certification that Equipment is Free from Hazards) which can be purchased from the self-service store, for each piece of equipment being repaired or surplused, regardless of whether or not the item was used with radioactive materials. If the items was used with radioactive material, the lab is responsible for taking smears of the unit, defacing all radiation labels and maintain the survey record for 3 years. Official DRS clearance is typically not required for lab equipment, except for liquid scintillation and gamma counters.

Liquid Scintillation and Gamma Counters

A manufacturer or service representative must be contacted for removal of internal radioactive sources prior to being surplused only.

The lab staff must perform a contamination survey of the counter prior to being surplused or repaired which includes monitoring the affected areas with a portable survey meter. and the collection of an appropriate number of contamination smears (a minimum of five) to demonstrate compliance with removable contamination limits on the interior and exterior of the counter.

The lab staff must contact the Area Health Physicist to schedule an official DRS clearance before the counter is removed from the lab.

Radiation-Producing Machines

Radiation-producing machines do not require special clearance, due to the absence of contamination potential. Examples of these machines are:

• Cabinet x-ray units
• X-ray diffraction units
• Electron microscopes

Periodic safety inspections are performed on these machines, which are coordinated by DRS. Therefore, the lab staff must notify DRS when these units are being procured, moved, or surplussed.

Devices Containing Radioactive Sources

Devices containing radioactive sources or radioactive static charge eliminators are controlled and subject to federal regulations. Examples of these devices are:

• Self-shielded irradiators
• Mass spectrometers
• Gas chromatographs

The lab staff must notify DRS prior to the relocation, surplus, or repair of these items. The Area Health Physicist will determine the proper clearance procedures.