STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
Procedure:
School/Department:
SOP prepared by:
Working with 32/33 Phosphorus radioactive isotopes
School of Biological Sciences
Sue Ling Lim and Nick Coleman (SMB), M Joseph (SoBS)
Section 1 - Personal Protective Equipment
1. Lab coat or lab gown
2. Nitrile or Latex gloves
3. Proper enclosed footwear
4. Radiation dosimeter/badge
5. Perspex shield – 1cm thick
6. Geiger counter
Section 2 – Potential Hazards + Safety precautions
1. 32P and 33P isotopes emit beta particle radiation, which can cause DNA damage
and cancer (chronic exposure).
2. The chemicals labelled with the isotopes may also pose their own toxicity,
flammability or corrosive risks separate from the radiation risk
3. No food or drink is to be consumed in radiation work area. Isotopes could be
very harmful if swallowed - seek medical advice if this occurs.
4. Individuals using the radioactivity must check themselves and the room for
contamination before and after commencement of work with Geiger counter.
5. All equipment to be removed from room must be checked with Geiger counter
and cleaned if necessary before transported elsewhere.
Section 3 – Procedure
1. Before commencing work, user name, date, time, and amount of radioactivity
used must be noted in the radiation room log book
2. Know the location of spill kits, eyewashes, safety showers before starting work.
3. The work space (especially bench surfaces and floor) and PPE (lab coat, gloves)
must be checked initially for any radioactivity with Geiger counter
4. User must ensure their body is shielded at all time from the isotope with Perspex
shield or containers that are a minimum of 1cm thick
5. Gloves and surfaces need to be checked regularly for contamination during
work. Gloves should be changed and disposed of into designated radioactive
waste bins if found to be contaminated to prevent cross-contamination.
Surfaces need to be wiped down with strong detergent (e.g. Decon) if found
contaminated, and the wipe disposed of in designated radioactive waste bins
6. Upon completion of experiments, check and decontaminate self and surfaces
again as above using Geiger counter. Wash hands thoroughly before leaving.
Section 4 – Disposal / Spills / Incidents
1. Radioactive waste must be disposed of into dedicated liquid or solid waste
Perspex (10mm thick) containers stored in the Radiation room. NB: Each isotope
has its own set of waste containers. Do not mix isotopes unless this is unavoidable.
2. All spills must be cleaned up immediately.
3. For radioactive spills use long tweezers to hold a pad of tissue paper soaked in
DECON90 to decontaminate surfaces. Use (G-M) Geiger counter to monitor
progress and to confirm all surfaces are free of contamination.
4. Full Radioactive waste containers need to be stored in a Perspex box until the
radioactivity has decayed to below 100Bq/g before disposal. At this point, solid
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
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5.
6.
7.
8.
waste can be disposed of (consult waste disposal officer), while the liquid waste
can be decanted down the sink. NOTE: ONLY WASTES BELOW 100 Bq/g CAN BE
DISPOSED OF DOWN SINK !
All significant spills of radioactive or highly toxic substances (eg. >1L) should be
reported to your supervisor, and via an online incident report.
All incidents and injuries should be reported to your supervisor, and via an online
incident report. Near misses (hazardous situations not leading to an incident)
should also be reported
All radioactive waste bags need to be labelled with lab name, the date of
disposal and relative amount of radioactivity if contains (high or low).
In case of a spill on a surface, ensure proper shielding before commencing
cleaning. Clean with paper towel and a strong detergent (e.g. Decon). Dispose
of paper towel into radioactive waste bin and check surface with Geiger
counter. Continue cleaning until counts not detected.
Section 5 – Repairs / Certification / Validation
1. Geiger counter must be calibrated annually
Section 6 – Relevant Material safety data sheets
Safe handling guide for 32P and 33P; MSDS for 32P UTP
Section 7 - References
1. www.perkinelmer.com.au - Product literature
2. Risk assessment for working with 32P/33P
3. Radiation Safety Requirements and radiation Safety Committee
http://sydney.edu.au/whs/guidelines/radiation/index.shtml
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
Page 2 of 3
SOP Training Confirmation
By signing below, these individuals confirm that they have read and
understood the SOP, and agree to always follow the instructions in this SOP
when performing this procedure.
Position
Name
Signature
Date
Supervisor
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
WHS Committee Approval
Representative: A. Prof Frank Seebacher Chair Safety Committee
Signature: ........................................................ Date: .....................................
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
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