Recommended procedures for performance testing of radiobioassay laboratories: Volume 3, In vivo test phantoms

Draft American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard N13.30 (Performance Criteria for Radiobioassay) was developed for the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help ensure that bioassay laboratories provide accurate and consistent results. The draft standard describes the procedures necessary to establish a bioassay performance-testing laboratory and program. The bioassay performance-testing laboratory will conduct tests to evaluate the performance of service laboratories. Pacific Northwest Laboratory helped develop testing procedures as part of an effort to evaluate the draft ANSI N13.30 performance criteria by testing the existing measurement capabilities of various bioassay laboratories. This report recommends guidelines for the preparation, handling, storage, distribution, shipping, and documentation of test phantoms used for calibration of measurement systems for direct bioassay. The data base and recommended records system for documenting radiobioassay performance at the service laboratories are also presented