HP-25: Tritium Handling and Other Information

Hydrogen-3 is a commonly used radionuclide with a half-life of 12.3 years, emitting only beta particles with a maximum energy of 0.019 MeV (Million Electron Volts) and an average energy of 0.0057 MeV. The beta particles from H-3 travel a maximum of 6 mm in air.

The major concern with using H-3 is that it cannot be easily monitored during its use, therefore, special precautions are needed to keep the work environment clean. The regular use of wipe testing is the only way to insure that your work space is not contaminated. Contamination on the skin will not likely cause a significant dose to the dead layer of skin, however, it could lead to the internal absorption of H-3. The maximum permissible body burden to the whole body is 1 mCi.

Glass and plastic are the best shields for beta particles from H-3.

A tiny drop of contamination containing H-3 can be easily detected with a wipe test from a liquid scintillation counter. A Geiger counter will not detect the presence of H-3.

The following equipment and supplies must be available:

• A liquid scintillation detector
• Disposable latex or plastic gloves
• full-length lab coat
• containers for radioactive waste
• pipettes dedicated to the use of H-3
• commercial decontaminate

If the following safety precautions are used, personnel radiation exposure will be as low as reasonably achievable.

• Designate a specific area of the lab for H-3 handling
• Full-length lab coats must be worn by all persons who handle H-3
• Protect the skin of your hands from becoming contaminated from spills by wearing two pairs of disposable gloves
• Never pipette H-3 by mouth
• Only use pipettes which have been dedicated to your specific use of H-3; pipettes will easily become contaminated and therefore, should not be shared with others
• If you have reason to believe that your gloves are contaminated, immediately dispose of them in the radioactive waste container