Posted By Jane Blunt Dear Shelly Radioactivity is not a substance of itself, but is a property of something that is being used in the area. How you remove it therefore depends on the form it is in. For example, radioactive dusts would easily be removed with a damp cloth, whereas a radioactive grease would require a solvent. Spraying it with Windex is probably aimed at helping to wipe the radioactive substance off the surface, and will be successful if the surface is nice and smooth, and the form that it is in is easily removed by the solvent contained in Windex. Nothing you can do will alter the radioactivity of the substance that is giving the readings - you can only move it about from place to place (i.e. from the surface to the wiping cloth and then into the bin). The radioactivity will decay to its own timescale regardless of what you do. This timescale could be anything from seconds to thousands of years, depending on the radioactive substance present. I suggest you raise your concerns with your Radiation Protection Supervisor, to clarify further whether your procedures are adequate, Regards Jane

Posted By John Donaldson We use Decon for cleaning up spot contamination. But as Jane says if the isotope has bound to the work surface and it is above acceptable activity limits you may need to consider replacement. If your lab workers are following acceptable practice ie using Benchcote in spillage trays you should not be finding contamination. If you are it possibly indicates bad practice. Again referring to Janes note you must consult your RPA before changing any practices which they may have put in place.