Radiation-Related Emergencies

Radioactive Materials

If you are trained on cleaning the spill:

Wear all appropriate PPE
Cover the area to prevent tracking and contamination of other areas
Once the affected area has been blotted dry, scrub the contaminated area with soap and water. Continue this process until the contamination is less than 500 dpm/100 cm2 of the removable contamination.
If the contaminated area cannot be reduced to these levels, the area should be covered with an impervious material (e.g. diaper paper) to prevent further contamination.
If the spill produces radiation fields exceeding 2 mrem/hr at one foot from the source, appropriate shielding material should be placed on the area. If shielding is not feasible, access to the spill zone should be restricted.
All areas of non-removable contamination should be labeled with cautionary information, and personnel in the area should be notified.
The Radiation Safety staff are available to supervise personnel concerning decontamination of surfaces, appropriate shielding, and restriction of access.
In the case of contaminated wounds, rinse with running water and soap. (Do not scrub contaminated skin). Cover with sterile dressing and seek medical attention at once.

Radiation Producing Devices