Radiation sources

[vlclabbie]

WOW! We don't have any & I'm so glad! I love my teachers - they are so safety conscious!!!

All that OH&S effort to store & handle... for such a small use...!

Be careful everyone!

[lesnsw]

Since the last posting has a radioactive storage box become available?
Les

[Ocean Breeze]

I decided NOT to have any radioactive sources in our school.

And on this one, what I say, goes!

As I remember may years ago, I took a geiger counter to the outside of the lead box that a schools radioactive sources were stored in.
The geiger counter was registering some serious clicks. compared to the natural background... not just with the Alpha particles either! as was the the shelf where it was stored.

And those were the standard storage... each sorce in an individual lead foiled container, and then all in a lead lined storage case.

As far as I am concerned, There are enough radiation sources in our world , natural, leakage etc without bringing more of them into my work area!

Not for this little ducky

[Rita]

If the sources are stored correctly in the lead.... where do you store the lead storage case? Does it need to be kept in a special area?

Thanks
Rita

[linotas]

We store ours in a locked metal box in a locked cupboard in the physics lab (which is locked when not in use)

[Ocker]

The lead seals in the radiation, then just make secure.

[LeeBee]

The sealed radioactive sources supplied to schools do not need any licencing or special storage, the activity is so small. Same for unsealed needle source for cloud chamber.They are sent internationally through the post in a plastic case or tube! They are manufactured by Spectrum Techniques in America. Activity over 10 uCi (microcuries) may require lead shielding according to them.
If you had all three "recommended for school" disc sources, Polonium-210, Cobalt-60 and Strontium-90 you would have a total of 1.02 uCi activity. Way below any requirement for shielding. Just store away from work areas where people spent a lot of time to be safe. To put things into perspective we receive 0.4 uCi (2 mSv) background radiation EVERY YEAR from radon gas all around us.
There is absolutely no need for radioactive pots for disc sources, they were for cup sources which are no longer available for school use, although it seems the suppliers are still happy to sell them which just adds to the paranoia surrounding this topic. Same with lead shielding for your discs.
And, if your lead lined boxes are old I would do a wipe test on them as they could be contaminated from previous materials and would therefore pose more of a hazard than the materials now inside!
The security and safe return of the sources are the most important thing to worry about with school disc sources.
Radioactive sands, and rocks such as Uranium that people may have collected over the years could have much higher activity.

See ARPANSA guide- Use of Radiation in Schools
https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/g/file ... /rps18.pdf
A1.3 SHIELDING
"Generally, the radiation levels in approved school experiments involving X-rays or radioactive materials are so low that no special shielding is required. However, it is important when using sources of radiation in schools to demonstrate the role of shielding as part of safe working practices."[/i]

Note: I would not purchase Polonium-210 as it has a half life of only 138 days. i use Americium-241 for an Alpha source, remove the sealed capsule from an ionizing smoke detector for that. (1.0 uCi) Cheers