A.  Emergency

B.  General Guides

A.  Emergency   top

The Radiation Safety Division must be notified immediately of any abnormal or questionable situation involving ionizing radiation, e.g., spills, injection or ingestion of radionuclides into a person, contaminated wounds, contaminated person or personal effects, unauthorized release of radioactivity into the air or sewage system or to normally non-contaminated areas, unauthorized removal of radioactive materials, and known or suspected overexposure of personnel to ionizing radiation.  (See Attachment C for Radiation Incident telephone contact numbers.

In the event of a spill of radioactive materials or dispersion of radioactive dusts or gases which might be a health hazard, the following actions must be conducted immediately:
1.  Call the Radiation Safety Division, 277-2753.  Describe the situation to the RSO.
2.  If possible, prevent the activity from spreading beyond the room or work area by:

a.  using absorbent material for liquid spills,
b.  closing doors and windows and shutting off air conditions systems to prevent the dispersion of the radioactive material,
c.  putting on shoe covers when leaving the contaminated area to prevent tracking of radioactivity

3.  Evacuate the area.
4.  Post the affected area with radiation warning signs to advise others of the condition and not to enter the area without following proper re-entry procedures.
5.  Advise all involved personnel not to leave a designated area until they are surveyed for contamination.
6.  Assistance to contaminated personnel, re-entry of the affected area, evaluation of conditions, and follow-up surveys will be provided by the Radiation Safety Division.

If the activity spreads or has the potential for spreading beyond the building or area, additional assistance may be obtained from the University Police (277-2241).

The following guides should not be considered inclusive of all practices and limitations for the safe use of radionuclides and for minimizing exposure to ionizing radiation.

1.  Before performing an experiment, determine if proper approvals have been granted and that the experiment will not constitute a violation of rules and regulations.
2.  Keep radioactive materials, contaminated equipment, and sealed sources in designated and properly labeled containers and/or areas to facilitate control of contamination, radionuclide usage, and access by unauthorized personnel.
3.  Operations in which radionuclides may become airborne should receive special consideration in regard to monitoring and sampling.
4.  Do not smoke, eat, or drink while working with non-sealed radionuclides, in an area which may be contaminated with radioactive materials, or in any posted laboratory.
5.  Use mechanical devices to pipette radioactive solutions.
6.  Surveys of the person and area during and after working with transferable radioactive materials will be conducted to assist in contamination control.
7.  Store or transport radioactive materials in a manner to prevent breakage or spillage.  Secondary containment is recommended.
8.  Wear or use protective apparel to prevent internal or external contamination of the person, consistent with the amount of radioactive material and relative to the hazard.
9.  To aid in preventing contamination of work benches, floors, hoods, and normally non-contaminated areas, perform work and store containers of loose or liquid radioactive materials in trays or pans with raised sides.  The use of absorbent paper is recommended.
10.  Manage radioactive wastes as authorized by the RCC and as instructed by the Radiation Safety Division.
11.  Do not touch contaminated material or the active parts of sources with bare hands.  Use adequate precautions and handling tools.
12.  Use radiation warning signs as delineated in the regulations and as specified by the RCC.
13.  Sealed sources which are found to be externally contaminated above limits established for unrestricted areas shall be used or handled as contaminated material and properly controlled to prevent unnecessary contamination of areas, items, or persons.
14.  Maintenance on contaminated or potentially contaminated systems (e.g., sink traps, floor tile, centrifuges, reactor components, and pumps in contaminated systems) must be coordinated with the RSO.
15.  Conspicuously post any required emergency evacuation plan.
16.  Insure that radionuclides are properly stored and that containers of radionuclides are properly labeled.
17.  Be aware of possible build-up of pressure in vials of radioactive solutions.  This pressure may be released by inserting a hypodermic syringe needle through the rubber seal while the vial is under a fume hood.  The small amount of spray that could be ejected through the needle can easily be trapped with a cotton or wool plug.  In the case of a screwcap vial, surround the rim of the cap with cotton and, unscrew the cap slowly until pressure is equalized.  Always work over a tray in a fume hood.
18.  Patients who have been given diagnostic or therapeutic doses of radioactive materials shall not be released from the hospital until their total body activity is less that 30 mCi or the external radiation from the patient will not constitute a hazard to the general public as defined by NRC Regulations Title 10 CFR Part 35 (10 CFR 35).
19.  The total effective dose equivalent to individual members of the public from activities associated with the UNM radioactive materials license shall not exceed 100 mrem.
20.  The dose in any unrestricted area shall not exceed 2 mrem in any one hour.