RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Emergency procedures regarding radioactive contamination and over-exposure to radiation vary somewhat depending upon several factors (whether there are injuries, the extent of the contamination, etc.). The main procedures to follow in response to a variety of emergency scenarios are discussed briefly below. Note: EH&S has an Emergency Response Truck (see Section E below) with radiation survey meters, decontamination supplies, protective attire (including respirators), and first aid supplies, and this truck will be dispatched to the sites of major contamination emergencies.

A.Personnel Contamination with Serious Injury

Save the life of a seriously injured victim without regard to any radioactive contamination!! Administer first aid immediately! In all conceivable accidents at UCI in which serious injuries are involved (severe bleeding, heart attack, etc.), the risk to the life of the injured person would far outweigh the risk to the rescuer caused by exposure to radiation. Call the campus police ( dial 911 from a campus phone, or 949-824-5222 from a cell phone ), and the EH&S Office ( 949-824-6904, 949-824-6098, or 949-824-1081 ), as soon as possible.

Remove contaminated clothing (use a clean lab coat as necessary for modesty) and decontaminate any contaminated skin. Use a Geiger counter (for most radioisotopes) or an iodine survey meter (for I-125) to monitor for contamination. (Note: If 3H contamination is suspected, a liquid scintillation counter must be used to identify affected areas.) Wash contaminated skin several times (monitoring for radiation after each cycle) using a non-abrasivesoap and cold water. The use of hot water and abrasive soap may increase the absorption of the radioactivity into the skin!! Be sure to keep contaminated water away from uncontaminated areas of skin. Don't worry about contaminating the sink or shower. These can be decontaminated later. Remove as much of the radioactivity as possible from the injured person prior to his/her transfer to the ambulance.

B.Personnel Contamination with No Injury

If you know or suspect that you have been contaminated with radioactivity,do not panic. Considering the quantities of radioisotopes used in most labs on campus, you should suffer no health consequences as a result of being contaminated.

As above, remove all items of clothing which may be contaminated. Wash contaminated skin areas with cold water and a non-abrasive soap. Again, don't worry about contaminating the sink or shower.

Notify the EH&S Office as soon as possible at the phone numbers given above.

C.Laboratory Contamination Incidents

For area contamination, check the radiation level at a few inches above the spill using a radiation survey meter (e.g., a Geiger counter) If the radiation level is 200 mR/h or more, do what you can rapidly to contain the spill and then evacuate the area and notify EH&S right away (949-824-6904, 949-824-6098, or 949-824-1081 ).

If the radiation level above the spill is less than 200 mR/h, eliminate or minimize further spread of the contamination using whatever disposable material is handy and effective (paper towels, etc.). Be careful not to contaminate yourself or others in the process. The principal steps in the cleanup procedure should include the following:

  1. Put on adequate protective attire (disposable gloves and a lab coat will normally suffice).
  1. Clean up the spill using an absorbent material (paper towels work well, or use diatomaceous earth or a similar strong absorbent if available for larger spills). Be careful not to contaminate other areas. Put all contaminated items into the appropriate radioactive waste box.
  1. Wash the area with soapy water or a similar decontamination agent (409 works very well). Be sure to dispose of wet paper towels in the radioactive waste box without returning them to the soapy water or other cleaning agent, and thereby contaminating them. Repeat the cleaning process until the area is effectively free of contamination (verify this with a radiation survey meter).
  1. Call EH&S if you have difficulty in removing spilled radioactivity.

D.Radiation Exposure Incidents

If you know or suspect that you have been exposed to a high level of radiation, or you think that you have accidentally inhaled or ingested a radioactive substance, notify the EH&S Office as soon as possible!

 Note: When accidents occur after-hours or on weekends, call the campus police (dial 911 from a campus phone, or 949-824-5222 from a cell phone), and the police will in turn call appropriate EH&S personnel at their homes.

E.EH&S Emergency Response

The EH&S Office has a trained and well-equipped team which is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to respond to serious emergencies of many types on campus. These emergencies could include major spills of hazardous materials (including radioisotopes) in laboratories, earthquakes, explosions, releases of hazardous materials to the environment, etc. More information on the EH&S Emergency Response Team can be obtained by contacting the EH&S Office. Should you become aware of a serious emergency on campus, call the UCI Police (dial 911 from a campus phone, or 949-824-5222 from a cell phone) or the EH&S Office (949-824-6200).

These safety training resources, prepared solely for the use of the Regents of the University of California, were provided by a variety of sources. It is your responsibility to customize the information to match your specific operations. Neither the University of California nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

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