Leak Test Instructions
Everything you need to collect, seal, and return your sample with confidence — designed to make routine compliance easy for your team.
Sealed source leak testing, step by step.
Sealed radioactive sources are used across healthcare, manufacturing, and energy. Routine leak testing confirms these sources remain intact and don’t pose a contamination risk. This guide walks you through performing a leak test with your Gammatron kit — start to finish.
Why it matters: leak testing helps prevent radiation exposure and environmental contamination. Regulatory agencies — including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Agreement State programs — require routine leak testing of sealed sources to verify their integrity.
Gather Your Materials
Before you begin, have everything on hand:
- Your Gammatron leak test kit — swab, alcohol prep pad, and return envelope, with your kit number
- The leak test documentation form included with your kit
- Disposable gloves and any other PPE you normally use
- Dosimetry, if required by your license
Identify the Source
Record the source details on your leak test form:
- Serial ID number and isotope
- Source activity and manufacture date
- Equipment ID, if applicable
Perform the Wipe Test
- Remove the swab from its clear bag and moisten it with the alcohol prep pad. Thoroughly wipe the accessible surface of the source, the area of the source housing that was in close contact with the source capsule, or an accessible area adjacent to the source — whichever is appropriate.
- Return the swab to its clear bag without letting it touch the outside of the bag, then seal the bag.
- If a Geiger counter or radiation monitor is available, survey the wipe. If readings exceed twice background, contact Gammatron immediately.
Package and Return
- Fill out the leak test documentation form that came with your kit.
- Place the sealed bag and completed form in the return envelope and seal it.
- Mail it back using the shipping courier of your choice — you can send multiple kits in one envelope if you like.
We handle the rest.
Once your sample arrives at our lab, we evaluate it — typically within 48 hours of receipt — and email you as soon as your results are ready. Sign in to your secure client portal to view and download your certificates and audit-ready reports whenever you need them.