SECTION 3: Acquiring Radioactive Materials

• Ordering Procedures
• Free Vendor Samples and Samples from Other Institutions
• Loans of Other Transfers of Radioactive Materials

Princeton University must track and control all radioactive materials received to ensure that the University’s possession limits for radioactive materials (under licenses issued by the state and the NRC) are not exceeded. Therefore, the ordering and acquisition of radioisotopes must follow very specific rules and procedures.

There are a few important rules for the purchase and acquisition of radioactive materials that laboratory workers must keep in mind:

Rule #1: Never place orders for radioactive materials directly with a vendor. All radioisotope orders must be placed with the vendor by the Purchasing Department. Replacements for incorrect orders or unusable shipments must be negotiated by the Purchasing Department.

Rule #2: Each laboratory using radioactive materials has been issued an Authorization for each isotope. This Authorization spells out the lab’s
possession limit for that isotope and the conditions of use. An order will not be placed by the Purchasing Department if the order will cause the lab’s Authorization limit to be exceeded.

Ordering Procedures (top)

Radioisotopes are ordered through the University’s PeopleSoft online electronic purchasing system. In addition to the procedures established by the Purchasing Department, each department has established additional specific procedures to handle radioisotope orders. These procedures include details such as the daily deadline by which orders must be placed to ensure next-day delivery, etc.

Any lab new to the PeopleSoft system must contact its central departmental office for ordering instructions. Hands-on training for on-line ordering through PeopleSoft is also available. The class schedule is posted online.

Online Ordering

1. Review the Purchasing Department’s on-line purchasing procedures, and contact the lab manager or the departmental manager to find out what each department’s specific ordering procedures are. Note: When completing a requisition for radioactive materials, you must select RAD37 as the Category Code in the Requisition Form Panel.
   
2. After a radioisotope user completes and performs the user's approval of the on-line requisition, the requisition is electronically routed to the appropriate departmental staff member for final departmental PeopleSoft approval.
   
3. After the final departmental approval, it is electronically routed to Environmental Health & Safety (EHS). EHS will compare the Authorized User’s inventory and possession limit to determine whether the order can be approved. If approved, EHS notes its approval and routes the order to the Purchasing Department for placement of the order. If the order is disapproved, EHS will immediately contact the lab to try to resolve the problem.

If the online ordering system is down:

1. Call the Purchasing Department at 8-3411 to place an order. If a person does not answer, call the Purchasing Department’s main extension at 8-6369, and your call will be redirected to a person who can assist you.
   
2. Call EHS at extension 8-5294 with the following information: purchase order number, isotope and amount ordered, the Authorized User’s name, your name, and the desired delivery date.

Free Vendor Samples and Samples from Other Institutions (top)

Any person who plans to acquire radioactive material as a gift, loan or transfer from a vendor, another institution or company must contact EHS before the material is shipped to the University. Just as with regular radioisotope orders, EHS must approve any shipments before they are shipped. In addition, EHS arranges the shipment with the other institution and sends a copy of our radioactive materials license. Failure to notify EHS in advance about the shipment of radioactive materials may cause a lab’s authorization to be suspended or revoked.

Loans or Other Transfers of Radioactive Materials (top)

Transfers of radioactive material between Princeton University labs are permitted under the following conditions:

• Transfers of sealed sources or plated sources are not permitted without written authorization from EHS.
  
• The lab transferring the material is responsible for ensuring that the recipient lab is authorized to possess the radioisotope in question.
  
• Transfers of open source radioactive material in amounts of 100 µCi or more must be reported to EHS no later than the next business day.