Radiation Safety

Radiation Safety

Southern Methodist University's Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) group provides guidance and oversight for industrial and medical radiation-producing instruments and the use of radioactive materials. The purpose of this program is to provide safe, legal and environmentally responsible methods for the procurement, use, storage, and disposal of regulated devices and radioactive materials.

Regulated Devices

EHS provides administrative oversight for ensuring that SMU is following all State of Texas Department of Health and Human Services regulations in regards to devices that produce ionizing radiations. All ionizing radiation producing devices, including medical X-ray units and mini C-arms and research/industrial units such as XRDs, XRFs (both handheld and cabinet), must be registered with EHS and the State of Texas. SMU maintains a centralized license for regulated devices.

The University Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) affiliated with SMU's device registration is Mike Nimmo.

Radioactive Materials

Radioactive Materials (RAM) licenses are managed on a departmental level. Currently, only Biological Sciences and Physics are licensed for the procurement, use, and storage of regulated radioactive materials. For more information on these programs, please contact:

Professor Robert Harrod - Biological Sciences

Professor Thomas Coan - Physics

If you are not part of one of these departments and are entering into an area of research that may require the use of RAM, please contact EHS to begin the licensing process.