User Guide

Experimental Materials

Many common reagents are available at NSLS-II for users. Check with beamline staff prior to bringing or shipping materials to determine if what you need is already available. The guidance that follows is for all experiment samples and reagents not available that must be transported to the beamlines.

Users are responsible for managing transport of all their materials to and from NSLS II and must ensure compliance with U.S. Dept. of Transportation requirements. Users must ensure that materials are appropriately sent to the beamline before their experiment and must plan for return of those materials upon experiment completion. Specific arrangements with beamline staff are required to leave any materials at the NSLS-II facility after your departure.

BNL cannot support managing shipments sent to BNL. Users must work with their home institution to prepare and send materials to the NSLS-II beamlines. The PASS system does provide a shipping label and a materials list to help Users in providing the correct address, contact information, and beamline for their shipments. Upon approval of an experiment Safety Approval Form (SAF), the system will generate an email to the submitter containing a link to a package label and a materials list. The package label can be printed and used with any carrier and includes the following information: shipping address, proposal number, PI Name, Safety Approval Form number, beamline number, beamline contact and phone. Users can also access these documents via the SAF "Materials" tab in PASS.

The BNL Shipping Department does support shipments leaving NSLS II when your experiment is completed. You must package your materials with attention to keeping containers secure and avoiding chemical incompatibility. BNL Shipping will collect your package, ensure DOT compliance, and ship your materials to the address provided through a commercial carrier (likely FedEx). There is a fee for this service. Contact the NSLS II Shipping Coordinator for help. You will be asked to complete a "shipping memo" and to provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each material to be shipped. Packages must be placed on the beamline shipping rack for BNL pick-up.

Shipping information as found on the package Label:

NSLS-II Shipping Coordinator
National Synchrotron Light Source II
740 Brookhaven Avenue
Bldg. 740 – Loading Dock
Upton, NY 11973-5000
Attn: <Proposal Number>, <Proposal Title>, <PI>, <Safety Approval Form Number>, <Beamline Number>, <Beamline Contact>, <Beamline Contact Phone>

Radioactive Material Transport

All radioactive material transport to and from Brookhaven National Lab must be coordinated with the Radiological Controls Division, Facility Support (FS) group and approved through the Packaging and Transportation group. Radioactive samples are not to be shipped directly to the NSLS-II. All experiment plans involving use of radioactive material shall be reported on a Safety Approval Form (SAF). Final SAF approval is required before sending any radioactive material to the NSLS-II.

Having radioactive materials delivered to Brookhaven Lab

Once SAF approval is obtained, call the Packaging and Transportation Group at (631) 344-5241. They will send you an “Information Request Form” to complete and submit to obtain an authorization number to ship your radioactive material. When you have received the authorization number, you will send your radioactive material to the address below:

Note: This includes radioactive material that is shipped by overnight carrier, e.g., Federal Express, DHL, etc. Radioactive material is not to be shipped directly to the location of the Department/Division using it. Radiological Control Division Facility Support Staff must survey the package before its contents are handled.

Ship radioactive materials to the following address.

U.S. Department of Energy
c/o Brookhaven National Laboratory
Bldg. 801, Loading Dock
60 Rutherford Drive
Upton, NY 11973-5000
Attn: Packaging and Transportation Group
For: <recipient name>, <authorization number>

Shipping radioactive material from Brookhaven Lab

Following your experiment, your radioactive material must be shipped back to the place of origin. The FS Group will supply a “Request Shipment of Radioactive Material” form to complete when your radioactive material is delivered to the beamline. The User will notify the FS Group when the form is completed and schedule a time to transfer the radioactive material back to the processing area at the completion of the experiment. A project and activity number are required to process a shipping memo for shipments, even if you are using prepaid shipping. Ask your host or authorized beamline staff if you do not have project and activity numbers.

Transporting radioactive materials between buildings on campus

The rules for transport of radioactive materials on site allow for some materials to be transported by the owner in government vehicles or by hand carrying. Requirements for moving radioactive materials under the supervision of a FS Representative (FS Rep) or Radiological Control Tech (RCT) are as follows.

• Training and driver’s license to drive government vehicles
• The package dose rate is < 100 mrem/hr at 30 cm (RWP, transportation authorization, and Rad Worker 1 training required)
• The material activity does not exceed ten times the limits established in Appendix E of 10 CFR 835 in any form
• There is no smearable contamination on the outside of the package greater than the release criteria
• The material is not accountable nuclear and/or fissile

If the radioactive material exceeds any of the above criteria, it must go through a Safety Assessment and be documented on the BNL On-site Transfer/Safety Assessment Form (TSAF).

If the radioactive material meets the requirements above, contact the NSLS-II Facility Support Rep at (631) 344-3067 or (631) 344-4553 for help. They will assist in completing the required paperwork and in obtaining approval for the transport.