There have been several major changes over the last three decades, not because of advances in technology, but because of increased regulation. The vast majority of the radioactive material at Harvard is used in medical research, such as efforts to decode human DNA, at the Longwood Campus. The material, mostly radioactive iodine or phosphorus, is used as a marker to allow researchers to trace biological processes. Reed gives the radiation safety program high marks, even though she led a campaign in the 1980s to simplify the training. Reed said the inspectors perform an important function by keeping researchers on their toes.
Most labs have a standard way of doing things.
We have gloves and shields, but when you're making thousands of pipettes a day you might spill a microliter. They'll detect it. In 1995, Harvard jointly hosted a conference with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the NRC to develop a dialogue about the NRC's strict radiation security rules. The conference brought together researchers, safety professionals, and regulators to discuss whether an academic research environment needs such stringent regulation. For the future, Ring is pursuing plans to make the training course and other radiation protection resources accessible over the Internet.