Exiting the Hot Lab

When the radiopharmacist or technician leaves the hot lab, he should take care to follow a number of safety procedures. These are shown in the video below:

The steps in detail are as follows:

• take off the gloves used during the work with radioactive materials and discard them in a radioactive waste bin
  

  Gloves worn during working with radioactive materials are removed in such a way that any contamination on the outside cannot be transferred onto the hands.

  
  
• leave his dosimeter (and when appropriate ring dosimeter(s)) in a specially designated holder
  

  Placing the dosimeter in its holder

  
  
• take off the special lab-coat
  

  Taking off the special lab-coat

  
  
• exchange the special ‘lab-shoes’ for his own shoes, or, if wearing overshoes, to remove them and discard them in the waste bin
  

  Removing the overshoes and putting them in the waste bin

  
  
• check his body and clothing for  possible contamination with radioactive material, taking extra care to monitor his hands
  

  Hands are checked for contamination with radioactivity using a proportional counter	Monitoring for radioactive contamination using a hand and foot monitor

  
  
• remove all his personal belongings from the changing room

Only after these precautions are taken can the radiopharmacist or technician leave the lab.

Practise these procedures in an interactive animation.