RE: UNH Announces System to Track Radioactive Materials

[David Gillum <David.Gillum@unh.edu>]

Here is a response from one of the designers of the program:



~~~



David,



As you know, our RSO is responsible for ordering, receiving and distributing

all radioactive materials on campus. The actual data entry involved with

each order can be accomplished in less than one minute. We believe that the

RSO is the best person to input this data because he is ultimately

responsible for the safe use and possession of the materials, as spelled out

in our broad-scope license. Once the data is entered, the automatic decay

calculations can be set to either the current date, or another date in the

past (for example, we have sealed sources whose start date is in the 1940s,

and all decay is calculated from that point in time). Periodic inventories

submitted by the users help reconcile what researchers believe they have to

our records. Also, sink disposals and waste pick-up data entered by our

office will decrement the users' possession, and add to what is available to

order, as detailed in individual permits.  



We have included a field that identifies each isotope as either being an

unsealed or sealed source. Sealed sources are designated as either exempt or

non-exempt. We have put exempt sealed sources (such as those in GC's) into

our inventory for the purpose of tracking, but these items do not count

against established possession limits. And by establishing a start date for

these sources, we know when they have decayed to background levels.



The pricing of our software compared to what is commercially available is

probably the hardest question to answer. UNHCEMS includes so many features

that the program itself is hard to compare to others. It is a chemical

inventory tracking system, an emergency response system, a radioactive

tracking system, a regulatory compliance system (ASTs, SAA inspection

reports, etc.), and several other user friendly modules. Also, UNH Research

Computing is going to spend a lot of resources this summer to make UNHCEMS

more readily available to a greater variety of institutions. 



I hope this helps. If people have more questions about the features, they

can contact me at ken.brown@unh.edu or Phil at philip.collins@unh.edu. 



Ken



CEMS website: www.cems-info.sr.unh.edu





-----Original Message-----

From: Russ Johnson [mailto:rujohnso@nmsu.edu] 

Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 11:38 AM

To: David Gillum

Cc: radsafe@list.Vanderbilt.Edu

Subject: Re: UNH Announces System to Track Radioactive Materials



Mr. Gillum;



Our EH&S office is preparing to buy an existing commercial software product

that does these things. We have very limited resources and do not have

centralized shipping or receiving for rad materials or devices. Therefore

tracking is becoming an issue we are attempting to resolve within our

constraints.



Some questions came to mind that might be of interest to others.



1) Who would be reponsible to input cradle-to-grave data into the system,

EH&S staff or the researchers themselves? Who is responsible for maintaining

that data as current?



2) How would this system track radioactive chemicals or devices that are not

required to be permitted but may exist in quantity on the campus (such as

uranium/thorium bulk lab chemicals, geological specimens, smoke detectors,

exempt source sets, etc)? Consider both these questions in the context of

the constraints noted above.



3) Finally, how does this software compare with existing commercial

software? The software system we are preparing to buy is 5-figures (ouch).

Is there a cost associated with yours?



Russ Johnson, MS

Radiation Safety / Training Specialist

EH&S, New Mexico State University



David Gillum wrote:



> UNH Announces System to Track Radioactive Materials

>

> New Web-based System is Available to Universities Nationwide

>

> Contact: Lori Wright

> 603-862-0574

> UNH Media Relations

>

> June 14, 2004

>

> DURHAM, N.H. - As the United States enters a summer of heightened concern

> regarding terrorist attacks, the University of New Hampshire announces it

> has expanded its comprehensive online system that tracks hazardous

materials

> to include radioactive materials, such as substances that could be used to

> manufacture a dirty bomb.

>

> The UNH Chemical Environmental Management System (UNHCEMS) was developed

by

> the UNH Research Computing Center (RCC) in consultation with the UNH

Office

> of Environmental Health and Safety. The Web-based system allows public and

> private research institutions to manage hazardous chemicals and

radioactive

> materials stored at multiple locations on their campuses.

>

> Radioactive materials are common in medicine and research, according to

Brad

> Manning, director of UNH Environmental Health and Safety. UNHCEMS already

> tracks thousands of chemical and radioactive materials, and UNH is working

> to expand the system to track biological agents, such as anthrax and the

> plague.

>

> "From the standpoint of Homeland Security and the U.S. Patriot Act, this

> system dramatically increases the ability of universities to track

specific

> radioactive materials. For example, if we need to determine if we have a

> particular hazard on campus, we can query the system and find out within a

> minute if that substance is on campus and exactly where it is located,"

> Manning says.

>

> The system also tracks radioactive decay for materials. Radioactive

> materials decay, or disintegrate, at different rates. By calculating the

> radioactive decay of all radioactive materials stored on campuses, UNHCEMS

> can accurately determine the level of radioactivity of the materials.

>

> "Most universities do not maintain comprehensive, online inventories of

> their hazardous materials. Most universities simply don't have that

> information available or up-to-date. My counterparts at other universities

> have had to hire people to go out and look in every laboratory - hundreds

of

> laboratories - to find these hazards," Manning says. "Unlike many

> universities, we know what our risk factors are."

>

> A case study of UNHCEMS published by the Environmental Protection Agency

was

> included in the EPA's best management practices catalog for colleges and

> universities regarding homeland security. UNHCEMS was developed as part of

a

> settlement agreement with the agency following an EPA inspection at UNH

five

> years ago. At the time, UNH was found to have violated the Resource

> Conservation and Recovery Act regarding waste disposal in laboratories.

>

> "This online chemical management system holds great potential to help

> universities and colleges improve tracking and management of chemicals and

> wastes," says Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New

England

> Office. "We've found in our inspections that many colleges are wasting

> significant amounts of chemicals because they do not have systems in place

> for accurately recording the identity, quantity and location of materials.

> This system holds great promise to reverse this problem, resulting in

> campuses that are safer and better for the environment."

>

> Brown University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are using

> UNHCEMS, and numerous universities and hospitals have expressed interest

in

> the system, according to Manning. In addition, a government delegation

from

> Macedonia recently visited UNH and was presented the system as an option

for

> part of its national emergency response system. Universities and other

> organizations can easily access the system via the Web, with data and

> software securely stored at UNH.

>

> Institutions wanting to learn more about UNHCEMS can visit:

>

>   www.cems-info.sr.unh.edu

>

> or contact Patrick Messer, associate director of the UNH Research

Computing

> Center, at 603-862-2889.

>

> Editors: Brad Manning, director of UNH Environmental Health and Safety, is

> available for press inquiries. He can be reached at 603-862-2571. The UNH

> EHS website is located at www.unh.edu/ehs.

>

> --

> David R. Gillum, MS

> Laboratory Safety Officer

>

> University of New Hampshire

> Environmental Health and Safety

> 11 Leavitt Lane, Perpetuity Hall

> Durham, NH  03824

> Telephone # 603-862-0197

> Facsimile # 603-862-0047

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