The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is properly managing its radioactive sealed sources, the Department of Energy’s Inspector General’s Office (IG) said in a report released Thursday. The department uses sealed sources, or radioactive materials enclosed in capsules to prevent leaks, for medical and scientific testing.
A 2002 IG report identified deficiencies including a sealed source that had not been leak-tested since 2000 and a source custodian who had not undergone a radiation safety training refresher. The recent follow-up inspection determined that both Los Alamos and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state have been managing and accounting for their sealed sources “in a safe and secure manner.”
The IG’s inspection found that both sites were following requirements to inventory and conduct leak tests for sealed sources; post radioactive material signs; and store properly labeled sources in secure locations. The IG also determined that sealed source custodians had completed required safety training and that an electronic database developed at both sites offered automatic notifications to the custodians on upcoming leak tests, inventories, and trainings.
