It is important to review your procedures to make certain you are up to date with the latest information as issued by the RSO. Also, it is important to review the procedures with new personnel who need to know what to do in the laboratory, from placing and picking up their radioactive materials order, to the time that they call for a waste pickup. All radioactive materials users should understand the Radiation Safety pre-approval requirements.
Radiation Safety must approve all orders to purchase to ensure that the Principal Investigator is authorized for the radionuclide, compound, and quantity. When Radiation Safety approves your order, you (or the Chemistry Storeroom) may place your order with the vendor.
All orders must be shipped directly to the police department at 8001 Natural Bridge Road, 44 TeleCommunity Center, care of the Radiation Safety Officer. No radioactive packages can be delivered to UMSL Mail Services or directly to the Chemistry Department. All vendors have been instructed as to the correct address since they require and possess a copy of UMSL's radioactive materials license.
The Radiation Safety Office assigns a lot number to each individual order arriving on campus. The lot number identifies the radionuclide, compound, quantity, assay date, vendor, and principal investigator. You will need to refer to the lot number at times to keep a thorough accounting of your possession in the lab of both product and waste. Account sheets and waste tickets are generated and included with your package. You will use the account sheet and waste tickets to show that 100% of the original order is accounted for. Radiation Safety will perform the incoming survey on the package and deliver it to an authorized user in the Primary Investigator's laboratory.
Vials should be stored in the pig according to the manufacturer recommendations. Cold storage in public areas, such as hallways or shared common equipment labs, should always be avoided. You should check the label on the pig to confirm the contents of your order amount and compound. Write the lot number and the Primary Investigator's name on the pig with a permanent marker. Placement of the pig within another strong type container such as a plexi™ box is also recommended. Storage of the pig and vial can be secured within a lock box, locked in cold storage, or by locking the laboratory front doorway. You should provide any shielding necessary to reduce the exposure to other lab members, and generally, the original pig will be sufficient. In some cases, distance can help reduce exposure rates by positioning the stock vial toward the back center of the freezer or refrigerator. Remember that all storage of stock vials must be clearly labeled with "Caution Radioactive Materials."
For larger orders, it is recommended that one person aliquots the order to the amounts needed per experiment. All aliquoting of the stock should be done on a stable base in a spill tray with absorbent material. Stock material should never leave the stable base tray unsealed. Storage containers should be non-breakable and sealed with an equivalent sure-seal tight cap secured within a plexi™ container. For diluted or aliquoted stock, you must properly label the radioactive material including the quantity, compound, assay date, and RSO number. Always survey the work area, tools, and equipment after use to check for contamination.
