ISP History

The Intercomparison Studies Program (ISP) for in-vitro bioassay located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been in place since May 1991. The program was originally created to fill a need in the radiobioassay area at ORNL, specifically in the areas of Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and Performance Testing (PT). It soon became clear that other Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories had the same need and that an intercomparison would strengthen the program by allowing cross-checks of the spike solutions in the various samples. Initially, this consisted of two or three laboratories working in a “pilot” program. Once it was determined that it could work effectively, the program began to seek additional members. The program became formalized with a quarterly report and a regular cost-per-sample January 1, 1992.

Current Services Provided

The ISP at ORNL provides radiobioassay samples, spiked with known amounts of radioactivity, to the DOE and other nuclear facilities. The samples are analyzed and the data reported to the ISP. A report is generated showing lab performance relative to the ISP values as well as performance relative to other participants. Three sample matrices are offered:

Natural Urine

(Read More – Instructions)
Samples are composed of human urine and a radioactive spike solution. Acid added to the samples is neutralized by the urine. Samples may be produced as single or double-blind samples. A single sample may contain one or multiple nuclides and consist of one or multiple bottles/containers. Samples are typically produced on a monthly basis. Available nuclides and spike levels are given in the side table (higher spike levels will be considered upon request).

Artificial Fecal

(Read More – Instructions)
Samples are composed of a mixture of chemicals intended to simulate a fecal sample. They are produced as a 30 g sample in a sealed plastic bag. Samples are typically produced on a quarterly basis. Nuclides and spike levels are the same as urine samples.

Whole Body Count

(Read More – Instructions)
Each sample consists of five 1 L bottles. Each bottle contains 1000 g of 0.1M HCl into which aliquots of Ba-133, Co-57, Co-60, Cs-137 and Y-88 have been added. The bottles will contain identical amounts of activity and all five bottles are to be counted as a single sample. The total activity for each sample is <500 nCi/nuclide. Samples are typically produced on a quarterly basis.