Re: Tritium Bioassay Laboratories

[Bob Wilson <bmwils2@pop.uky.edu>]

Stan,

We haven't talked for a long time (if you remember the name, I used to be
at UNC).  A suggestion would be to go ahead and get yourself set up to do
the H-3 bioassays.  If you already have access to a good LSC, the rest is
not very expensive or difficult.  At the most, a best ever H-3 calibration
standard will only cost in the range of $700.  Commercial labs will go way
beyond this quickly.

The main thing would be to consider a "screening" program.  You can then
readily have a program good enough to find H-3 uptakes that are still below
an action level without having to build a "certified" system.  You can then
use a commercial lab if you find a significant intake or some other type of
serious ("court case") situation.  This may occur rarely or never.  Good
usage technique can readily prevent any serious intakes on a routine basis.

The typical H-3 limit in NC (as is usual) is a single use of > 100 mCi.
Most AUs don't do this routinely, or for an extended period.

Bob 

At 02:29 PM 3/9/00 -0600, you wrote:
>UNCW is just reaching quantities of tritium where the activities 
>handled warrant a bioassay program.  Being new to this, I have two 
>questions.
>
>1.  Should I go with a third party to analyze our samples? It doesn't 
>seem to be a problem for most facilities but I prefer a third party to 
>perform our tritium bioassays rather than in-house personnel. The 
>concerns I do hear are cost and time.
>
>2.  Does anyone use any laboratories that have performed an 
>excellent job for them in a tritium Bioassay program?  
>
>Thanks in advance for your input.
>
>
>Stan H. Harts
>Environmental Safety Manager
>University of North Carolina at Wilmington
>601 South College Road
>Wilmington, NC 28403-3297
>E-Mail:   Hartss@uncwil.edu
>Phone:    (910) 962-7017
>Fax:      (910) 962-4014
>************************************************************************
>The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
>information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html

Bob Wilson, Director
Radiation Safety Office
University of Kentucky
102 Animal Pathology
Lexington, KY  40546-0076
W:	606-323-6308
FAX:	606-323-4752
bmwils2@pop.uky.edu
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html