The following guidelines and requirements are put forth to aid the investigator in establishing safe iodination procedures and complying with existing RSO policies.
Requirements
- Prior RSO approval of protocol
- A written protocol and a summary of each individual’s experience must be submitted to and approved by the RSO. Forms RSO-BIO1 and BIO2 must be used.
- Fume hood checkout
- The RSO must perform an airflow check of the hood to be used in order to verify adequate air flow. A label will be applied to the front side of the hood sash indicating that a check was performed.
- Survey instrument
- A survey instrument equipped with a NaI detector must be present during the procedure. This instrument must be in calibration.
- Personnel monitoring
- Dosimetry — Personnel dosimetry must be worn by the participating individuals if the stock vial of Iodine to be used contains 5 mCi.
- Bioassay — Baseline thyroid probes are required for individuals performing an iodination for the first time. Subsequently, thyroid probes are required within 48 hours after each iodination. The Radiation Safety Office may grant exceptions to this requirement on a case-by-case basis
- Dosimetry — Personnel dosimetry must be worn by the participating individuals if the stock vial of Iodine to be used contains 5 mCi.
- Air monitoring
- In order to allow monitoring of the radioactive effluent during the iodination procedure, an air-sampling probe must be installed in the exhaust duct of the fume hood. The probe will be provided by the RSO, but the installation will need to be performed by your institution's maintenance department.
- Notification
- Contact the Radiation Safety Office 24 hours in advance of each iodination. This will allow adequate time to set up air sampling pumps and schedule bioassays.
Procedural Guidelines
- The iodinator is responsible for starting and stopping the air sampling pumps and recording the start/stop times on a standardized form. Other information to be noted on this form includes the total activity used, the names of the Authorized User and involved individuals, the date of iodination, and the package ID number.
- Set up a defined work area including waste repository and survey instrument station. All work surfaces must be covered with absorbent padding.
- Take standard lab precautions such as wearing protective clothing and gloves (double gloves are recommended if they do not inhibit the experimenter). All non-participating lab personnel should be out of the lab during the procedure.
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At the conclusion of the procedure, consolidate all waste materials into approved yellow bags and either take to the radioactive waste room or place in the hood.
Utilizing the survey instrument, perform monitoring of the experiment area and all personnel involved.
Perform a contamination survey of the area and document the results on a standard lab survey form. For multiple-user laboratories, post the hood with a sign indicating that the hood should not be used until it has been surveyed for contamination. - Schedule a thyroid probe by calling 412-624-2728.