The Division of Radiation Safety (DRS) has maintained daily services throughout the drawn-down of NIH research lab operations. Importantly, the receipt of radioactive material packages has been ongoing each day, though of course the volume is greatly reduced. Still, nearly each day DRS is receiving clinical unit doses for diagnostic imaging studies and radioactive material for essential research activities. They ask that all Authorized Users continue to notify DRS whenever radioactive material has been ordered, so they can expect the package receipt and coordinate its delivery to the lab.
Be on the lookout for "direct deliveries," that is, a radioactive package that FedEx delivers straight to the lab without passing through DRS. If this happens, required steps for package receipt will be missed. These are steps that DRS staff completes for regulatory compliance including inventory control and contamination monitoring. For any questions on radioactive material shipping and receiving, please call 301-496-3277.
Furthermore, Authorized Users may receive a query from DRS contractors intent on keeping to the regulatory surveillance program. If your lab is due for a DRS routine service (anything from a survey meter calibration, to a contamination survey, to an annual inventory), a contractor will reach out to you for an inquiry on accessing your lab. In most cases, your physical presence is not required. However, the request for permission to access the lab is important since researchers will want to know if/when anyone has been in their lab(s) and in some cases information about nuclide use needs to be relayed. If you are uncomfortable with authorizing the lab access, just say no when asked. However, DRS regulatory agency (the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission) has mandated these tasks still be performed within 90 days, so DRS contractors will eventually need to play catch-up! Your Radiation Safety Officer is hopeful that labs can cooperate with the contractors and ensure all required tasks get performed. For questions or concerns, please call 301-496-5774 and ask to speak with your Health Physicist.
