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Contact
the Division of Radiation Safety during or after working hours
for spills of radioactive materials or personnel contamination
involving radioactive materials. |
NIH Campus |
Normal Work Hours (7 AM- 6 PM) dial 301-496-5774
After Hours dial 911and ask for Radiation Safety Help |
Satellite
Buildings |
Normal
Work Hours dial (301) 496-5774
For fire or serious injury dial 9-911
After Hours dial 9-911or contact DRS using call list or
contact NIH fire department at (301) 496-2372 |
GRC |
Normal
Work Hours dial (410) 558-8123 or (301) 496-5774
After Hours contact Security Desk at (410) 558-8119 |
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Reporting
Criteria for Spills involving Radioactive Materials |
Listed
below are examples of when DRS would need to be notified.
If you are unsure if you should call or a situation does
not appear on the list below please call DRS for advice. |
- Personnel
contamination or injury (clothing or skin)
- Unrestricted
area is contaminated (an unrestricted area is anywhere
outside a posted laboratory, such as a non-posted hallway,
sidewalk, automobile etc.)
- Large
Activity spilled (mCi amounts)
- Large
volume (>1 liter)
- Large
area (>10 square feet) contaminated
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Decontamination
Procedures |
Skin |
- Upon
finding the contamination using the proper contamination
survey instrument for the isotope used (Geiger Counter
or Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector, note the meter readings
(measured in counts per minute CPM) and estimated size
of area that is contaminated
- Wash
area with soap and luke-warm water. Cold water will
constrict the pores of your skin thus making it more
difficult to remove the contamination.Inversely, hot
water may expand the pores of your skin which may cause
the contamination to further penetrate the skin surface.
- Notify
DRS as soon as possible
- After
each wash re-survey the area with the appropriate contamination
survey instrument and take note of the readings
- Continue
decontamination efforts until no more contamination
is detected or until the skin starts to become irritated.
You do not want to scrub your skin with anything rough
or harsh. Rough utensils such as a scouring pad will
only irritate the skin possibly causing redness, soreness,
abrasions and bleeding which may possibly cause the
contamination to further pentrate the skin;
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After
the contamination has been removed, DRS will perform a
dose assessment. Knowing the activity of the material
that was on the skin and the time it was there will greatly
assist in DRS's efforts to accurately estimate a skin
dose.
Please
note that contamination to the skin can be avoided with
good lab practices as well as utilizing the appropriate
personal protective equipment such as lab coat, gloves,
etc. |
Clothing |
- Remove
contaminated items immediately
- Monitor
the skin under the contaminated clothing
- If
skin is contaminated, start decontamination effort immediately
- Place
items in a bag and label with the name, date, isotope
and the count rate
- Notify
DRS
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Eye |
- Immediately
flush eye with water
- Notify
DRS
- Report
to OMS
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Lab
Contamination on the Floor |
- Restrict
access to the area
- Place
absorbent paper over area
- Monitor
and mark the boundaries of the area, be sure to also
monitor yourself and others that work in the laboratory
- Start
decontamination efforts from the outer edges and work
in
- Use
any cleaning agent; i.e. Radiac Wash, Windex or Alconox
- When
contamination cannot be detected with a survey meter,
smear the area to confirm that no further removable
contamination remains
- If
contamination is detected with the meter, but a smear
survey shows no removable contamination, the contamination
is fixed, stop cleaning the area and call DRS for further
instructions
- Minimize
the amount of liquid that is produced during decontamination
- Document
spill clean up on monthly contamination survey
form (NIH 88-12)
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Injuries |
Serious
(heavy bleeding, heart attack) |
- Do
not attempt to decontaminate victim
- Call
NIH fire department at 911, if off campus dial 9-911;
let emergency personnel know there may be radioactive
contamination present
- Notify
DRS as soon as possible
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Minor
(puncture wound or cut) |
- Decontaminate
area with soap and luke-warm water
- Report
to OMS, advise OMS that the wound may be contaminated
with radioactive material
- Notify
DRS as soon as possible
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Loss
of Radioactive Material |
- Thoroughly
look in all freezers and refrigerators for the missing
source vial
- Verify
the vial was not thrown away in either the radioactive
or regular waste
- Verify
all personnel that use the laboratory have not used
the material
- Once
you have completed your initial search, notify DRS for
further instructions
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