WELCOME

Administered by the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS), the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) is responsible for implementing performance standards for DOE contractor external dosimetry and radiobioassay programs through periodic performance testing and on-site program assessments. The performance testing function is carried out by the Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, located at the Idaho National Laboratory. The DOELAP Administrator, following consideration of the external dosimetry and radiobioassay oversight boards' recommendations that are based on their review of performance testing and program assessment results, issues accreditation certificates to those programs that successfully met the performance criteria. Accreditation must be renewed on a triennial basis.

DOE has a long history of active participation to improve personnel dosimetry and in the development of national consensus standards for evaluating performance of personnel dosimetry systems. Technical studies and staff, supported by DOE programs, were instrumental in defining and testing personnel dosimeter performance criteria at least as early as 1962 when the existing Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was contracted to conduct a national intercomparison test. DOE programs continue to support technical evaluations of national personnel dosimetry standards. Ongoing revisions to American National Standards Institute personnel dosimetry standards are anticipated in response to technological improvements and to efforts to improve consistency between U.S. and international personnel dosimetry performance testing criteria.

DOELAP allows DOE to ensure that radiation exposure monitoring at any of its sites is consistent, accurate, and conforms to national and international performance and quality assurance standards.

DOE Phantom Torso Lungs

PHANTOM LIBRARY

Anthropomorphic phantoms are designed to represent the human body's characteristics in terms of radiation attenuation, physical morphology, and geometry. For in vivo counting applications, phantoms are used to calibrate radiation detection systems for measuring radioactive material in the human body. Measurements of occupational workers are performed at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities to ensure that internal depositions of radioactive materials are kept below regulatory limits.

The DOE Phantom Library is a program for loaning in vivo calibration phantoms to DOE sites and other state, Federal, commercial, and international in vivo measurement laboratories. The library's inventory includes bottle manikin absorption (BOMAB) phantoms, a fission product phantom, a realistic torso phantom with various tissue-equivalent organ inserts and lung sets, thyroid phantoms, lymph node sources, and an 241 Am bone whole-body phantom. The Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (RESL), at the Idaho National Laboratory, operates the library program for the DOE Office of Worker Safety and Health Policy, EHSS-11, as an adjunct to the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program.

The Phantom Library Catalog, available through RESL, provides a general description of the phantom types available and their intended use. Specific calibration phantoms are identified by radionuclide content and by a unique phantom identification (ID) number. Detailed phantom-specific information is included with each loan. Please contact RESL for information about the loan program.

TECHNICAL STANDARDS

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Pugh
DOELAP Administrator