RadAboutus

Radiation Safety Office

The University Radiation Safety Office maintains a broad license with the SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) that permits the use of radioactive materials for research. Safety programs for the use of lasers and x-ray units have also been established.The University of South Carolina is committed to maintaining all radiation exposure to employees, students, and visitors as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

Our staff will assist the researcher in establishing and maintaining a safe work environment when using materials and equipment which can produce ionizing and nonionizing radiation:

Staff:

Name	Area	Telephone	email address
Dan Zurosky	Director	777-5268	dzurosky@gwm.sc.edu
Allen Boyd	Rad Waste	777-2841	boydCA@gwm.sc.edu
Blanche Holliday	Lasers, x-Rays, & Equipment	777-7530	bhollida@gwm.sc.edu
Alison Rosenberg	Radiation Materials	777-2843	arosenbe@gwm.sc.edu

Please feel free to contact any of the staff concerning radiation use on campus.
E-Mail address: RadSafety@gwm.sc.edu

Introduction to Radiation Safety Training
A radiation safety training lesson has been developed for USC employees, students and/or visitors who are not actually working with radiation but have a need to visit research laboratories or medical offices where radioactive materials or radiation emitting devices may be present. This 20 minute lesson will familiarize you with these radiation sources and help you to avoid unnecessary exposure.

The lesson is also designed for employees or students who will be working with radiation but have not yet had the opportunity to take one of our formal courses. If you are going to use radioactive materials, x-ray machines or lasers in your research, you will be required to take one of our formal courses as soon as possible after you begin your work. This lesson will give you some insight into matters related to radiation safety until you can complete one of the required formal courses. Online training: Introduction to Radiation Safety

A Visit to Chernobyl
In October of 1998, a group of USC researchers made a visit to Chernobyl, Ukraine which is the site of the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The trip was organized by Dr. Bruce Coull who was Dean of the School of the Environment at the time. The trip was designed as a fact finding visit to gain an understanding of the events that took place there in April of 1986. The hope was that by meeting with Ukrainian government officials and scientists, our university could establish a working agreement with them and begin to collaborate on a number of areas of research that were of mutual interest. The trip was funded by the Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust. You can go to this site: A Visit to Chernobyl for highlights of that first trip.

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