Internal Licensing

["Sue M. Dupre" <DUPRE%PUCC.bitnet@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>]

Good morning!  We are considering alternatives to our current method of inter-
nally licensing University principal investigators to use radioisotopes.
Under our current program, we accept an application for Authorization from a
principal investigator who specifies: what isotopes he/she wants to be autho-
rized for, what maximum possession limit for each isotope, what physical form
and the experimental methodology, among other things.  After the PI is inter-
viewed by a health physicist, the HP issues a recommendation to the Radiation
Safety Committee members who review the application and then approve or
disapprove it.  After the Committee has acted, an Authorization Number is
issued for each specific isotope.  This Authorization is then good for as long
as the researcher remains at the University or until we are notified that he/
she no longer wishes to use that Authorization.  Theoretically, the Authorized
User is expected to let us know when the nature of work with any given isotope
changes, e.g., the experimental methodology changes significantly.  Authorized
Users may, of course, submit applications for new isotopes or for changes in
possession limits.

I'm interested in hearing about alternatives to this approach.  For instance,
do you put time limits on your authorizations and require periodic renewal?
Do you have alternatives to establishing specific possession limits for each
user for each isotope?  For instance, I can imagine that one could set up a
system in which PIs apply to be a Type A or Type B lab, under which a Type A
lab might be generally authorized for a limited spectrum of isotopes with
some upper limit (10 mCi, as an example) for each of those isotopes.

On a related subject, have any of you established a classification system for
your labs, based on type of isotope, amounts used, frequency of use?  I can
imagine that such a system might be used to determine how often labs are
surveyed and audited, how authorizations are issued, and for other purposes.

This may be of general interest and I'd like to generate some discussion of
the possible approaches.  But please feel free to respond directly to me.

Thanks in advance for allowing me to benefit from your experiences!

Sue Dupre/Health Physicist/Princeton University
e-mail:  dupre@princeton.edu
phone:  609/258-6252