Section R12-1-505. Leak Testing and Replacement of Sealed Sources

A.      A licensee shall ensure that replacement of any sealed source fastened to or contained in a radiographic exposure device and

leak testing of any sealed source is performed by a person authorized to do so by the Agency, NRC, or another Agree- ment State.

B.       A licensee shall ensure that opening, repairing, or modifying any sealed source is performed by a person specifically autho- rized to do so by the Agency, NRC, or another Agreement State.

C.      A licensee that uses a sealed source shall have the source tested for leakage by a qualified person at intervals that do not exceed six months. The person who performs leak testing of the source shall use a method approved by the Agency, NRC, or by another Agreement State. A wipe sample shall be taken from the nearest accessible point to the sealed source where contamination might accumulate. The wipe sample shall be analyzed for radioactive contamination. The licensee shall ensure that the analysis is capable of detecting the presence of 185 Bq (0.005 microcurie) of radioactive material on the test sample and a person specifically authorized by the Agency, NRC, or another Agreement State performs the analysis. The licensee shall maintain records of the leak tests in accordance with this Section.

D.      Unless a sealed source is accompanied by a certificate from the transferor that shows that the sealed source has been leak tested within six months before the transfer, a licensee shall not use the sealed source until it is tested for leakage. A licensee is not required to test a sealed source that is in storage, but shall test each sealed source before use or transfer to another person if the interval of storage exceeds six months.

E.       A licensee shall immediately withdraw equipment containing a leaking source from use and have it decontaminated and repaired or dispose of the source in accordance with this Chap- ter. The licensee shall file a report with the Director of the Agency within five days of any test with results that exceed the threshold in this subsection, and describe the equipment involved, the test results, and corrective action taken. If a leak test conducted under this Section reveals the presence of 185 Bq (0.005 microcurie) or more of removable radioactive mate- rial the Agency classifies the sealed source as leaking.

F.       A licensee shall test for DU contamination at intervals that do not to exceed 12 months a radiographic exposure device that uses depleted uranium (DU) shielding and an “S” tube config- uration. The licensee shall ensure that the analysis is capable of detecting the presence of 185 Bq (0.005 microcuries) of radioactive material on the test sample and a person specifi- cally authorized by the Agency, NRC, or another Agreement State performs the analysis. If the testing reveals the presence of 185 Bq (0.005 microcuries) or more of removable DU con- tamination, the licensee shall remove the exposure device from use until an evaluation of the wear on the S-tube is com- pleted. If the evaluation reveals that the S-tube is worn through, the licensee shall ensure that the device is not used again. The licensee is not required to test for DU contamina- tion if the radiographic exposure device is in storage. Before using or transferring the radiographic exposure device, the licensee shall test the device for DU contamination if the inter- val of storage exceeds 12 months. The licensee shall maintain records of the DU leak test in accordance with subsection (G).

G.      A licensee shall maintain records of leak test results for each sealed source and for each device that contains DU. The licensee shall ensure results are in Becquerels (microcuries), and retain each record for three years after it is made or until the source is removed from storage and tested, which ever is longer.

Historical Note

Former Rule Section E.5; Former Section R12-1-505 repealed, new Section R12-1-505 adopted effective June

30, 1977 (Supp. 77-3). Former Section R12-1-505 repealed, new Section R12-1-505 adopted effective December 20, 1985 (Supp. 85-6). Amended subsections (A), (F) and (G) effective May 2, 1988 (Supp. 88-2). For- mer Section R12-1-505 repealed, new Section adopted effective April 2, 1990 (Supp. 90-2). Amended effective

August 10, 1994 (Supp. 94-3). Amended by final

rulemaking at 7 A.A.R. 2584, effective June 8, 2001 (Supp. 01-2). Section repealed; new Section made by final rulemaking at 10 A.A.R. 2122, effective July 3,

2004 (Supp. 04-2).