Year
2010
File Attachment
Abstract
The Centre of Isotopes (CENTIS) is the main consignor and carrier of radioactive material in Cuba. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Radiation Protection Program (RPP) implemented inside a Quality Management System, to achieve and maintain an optimized standard of protection in the accomplishment of these functions. All those areas involving radiation exposures are considered (e.g. design of type A packages, packing, loading, handling, in-transit storage, road transport and inspection and maintenance of packaging). The quality assurance requirements for packaging components were established using a grading process. A material to absorb twice the volume of the liquid contents is tested and its water absorptivity, grammage and capillary rise were estimated. Categories and transport indexes for 69 packages of radiopharmaceuticals incorporating radioiodines, 32P, 188Re and 90Y and technetium generators, are determined. Tests for demonstrating compliance with requirements for type A packages with liquid and solid radioactive content and for air transport are performed and documented. A numeric code for each package by consignee is registered and controlled in each step of the process and as a guarantee of its traceability. Safety and security of radioactive materials during storage in transit and transport are supervised. Training of workers trough periodic curses and emergency exercises is implementing. Individual Licensing of this staff is conducted by CENTIS and presented to the Cuban Regulatory Authority. The effective annual doses distributions are reported since 1996 to 2009. Occupational exposure is acceptably low and less than 6mSv, which is the dose constrain adopted. It has not been reported any incident in about two and half thousand road shipments carried out. CENTIS’ RPP has been under review, detailed appraisals and audits. The Certification of the management system by ISO 9001:2008 has been identified as a goal and a way for the continuous improvement.