SPROUT: Radioactive Materials, Lasers & X-Rays

A. Overview

SPROUT provides University members with a new cloud based platform for radioactive material ordering, inventory management and waste disposal. SPROUT also serves as the central resource for permit management of radioactive materials, radiation devices, lasers and X-ray equipment. Click below to access SPROUT.

SPROUT Access Page

B. Managing Radioactive Material Orders

All PIs intending to purchase radioactive materials (RAM) for possession and use at the University of Toronto must have a valid EHS Radioactive Materials permit prior to submitting a purchase requisition through uSOURCE or AMS.

The EHS Radiation Protection Service (RPS) will review all radioactive material order requisitions prior to approval. For more information on submitting radioactive material orders please visit the Purchasing Radioactive Materials page. Once a order is logged on SPROUT by EHS, permit holders and authorized users will be able to track their order progress from receipt to inventory confirmation.

i. Submitting a Radioactive Materials Order

Submit a radioactive materials order through uSOURCE or AMS. The EHS Radiation Protection Service will review the order upon confirmation of order details against permitted radioisotopes and limits, as well as other compliance checks.
Approved radioactive materials orders will be entered into SPROUT by EHS staff and will be visible by logging into SPROUT and navigating to My Group > Orders with status “Ordered”. Please review approved orders and submit any questions or revision requests to your HSO.

ii. Receiving a Radioactive Materials Package

Upon receipt of a radioactive materials package in the lab, the authorized user will examine the package for evidence of leaks, damage or tampering as per the university’s radiation safety program.
- Note: if there is evidence of tampering, damage or leakage, the permit holder and/or authorized user must inform the EHS Radiation Protection Service immediately.
When the package is determined to be in good condition, receipt must be confirmed in SPROUT by navigating back to My Group > Orders and selecting the “Receive” option under the “Actions” column for the appropriate order.

In the “Receive Package” window, information on the package and contents is displayed. The following required fields should be reviewed and/or completed prior to submitting the package receipt confirmation:
- Received by: select the authorized user who received the RAM package (if different from the Permit Holder).
- Notes: you can add any relevant notes related to the package (e.g., damage to a package, missing labels, etc.)
- Delivery location: select the location where the package was received from the list of permitted spaces.
- Attachments: attach any relevant package information (e.g., packing slips, TDG documentation, etc.)
Survey history: when required, an appropriate survey of a package must be completed to monitor for damage to the package or leakage of the radioisotope. Surveys can be recorded using the “New Survey” buttons.

Package inventory: review the package content information and ensure the fields list below are accurate before proceeding, other fields such as “Lot Number” are optional:
- Physical form: the physical form (sealed, unsealed, or radiation Device) must selected. For unsealed sources a “Quantity” must be entered in either units of volume or mass.
- Assay date: enter the assay date provided by the vendor or manufacturer for the radioisotope, these are typically provided in the calibration or product certificate. Note: an accurate date must be entered to ensure proper activity calculation throughout the lifetime of the radioisotope
- Quantity: ensure a quantity is entered if radioisotope is an unsealed liquid or solid.
- Manufacturer: enter the manufacturer information.
- Part/model number: for sealed sources and radiation devices, enter the source serial number.
Confirm receipt of the package by clicking “Submit” at the bottom of the window.

The status of the package listed in the “Orders” tab will have changed to “Complete” after the submission. The EHS Radiation Protection Service will be notified that the package has been received by the lab and will confirm the delivery of the package.
- Note: the confirmation of delivery step must be completed by EHS before any radioactive material inventory use can be logged in SPROUT. If you do not see the “sub-vial” option next an unsealed source, contact your HSO.

C. Radioactive Materials Inventory Management

SPROUT provides a “cradle-to-grave” approach to managing radioactive materials as it allows tracking from the point of order, receipt, use and eventual disposal within the same platform. The following sections will guide Permit Holders and authorized users on how to accurately record usage and subsequent mandatory contamination surveys in SPROUT.

i. Confirming New Inventory

All new orders of radioisotopes must be confirmed within the radioactive materials inventory prior to use. Current and pending radioisotope inventories under a valid permit are accessible under My Group > Radioactive Materials.
To confirm inventory after receiving a package, go into SPROUT and navigate to My Group > Radioactive Materials, new unconfirmed inventory will have the status “Delivered”, select “Confirm” under the “Actions” to officially confirm the new inventory and to begin use.

The inventory status will change to “In Stock” upon confirmation of the new inventory in the Radioactive Materials tab. At this point, three additional options will be displayed next each inventory item:
- Survey: this option is used to log contamination monitoring results following work with radioisotopes
- Dispose: this option is used to request disposal of stock vials or containers of radioactive materials (See Section: Disposal)
- Sub-vial: Use this option to record usage of unsealed radioisotopes, see “Recording Usage” below.

After successfully confirming inventory in the “Radioactive Materials” tab, new stock or parent vials will be assigned an inventory code in the format “YYYYMMDD-XXXX” where XXXX is an arbitrary number assigned by the system.

ii. Recording Usage of Radioactive Materials (Sub-Vialing)

To record use of unsealed radioisotopes (e.g. aliquoting, diluting, etc.), select the “Sub-Vial” option next to the appropriate main vial under My Group > Radioactive Materials.

A window will appear with the relevant radioisotope and quantity information for the selected vial and will prompt the user to enter the following usage information:
- Code: each stock or parent vial will have a unique inventory code generated by the system. Note: inventory codes for sub-vials must reflect the date of usage or preparation and must be manually edited, please see further instructions below.
- Physical form: only unsealed sources can be sub-vialed, therefore this field should always be left as “Unsealed”.
- Extracted Activity: record use or aliquoting by entering the activity (e.g., 0.1 mCi) extracted from the parent vial.
- Extracted Quantity: record use by entering the quantity extracted (e.g., 10 mL) from the parent vial.
- Additional Quantity: record dilution of a parent vial by entering the additional quantity of solution added to the original quantity.

New Inventory on SPROUT

For sub-vials created on the date of receipt of a stock or parent vial, SPROUT will automatically assign an additional number to enumerate the number of sub-vials created from the parent in the format “YYYYMMDD-XXXX-ZZ”.

For sub-vials created on a date other than the day of original receipt of the parent vial, the date must be manually updated. Select the “Code” field when creating the sub-vial and enter the date of use or preparation in the format YYYYMMDD-XXXX.
- Example: a parent vial was received on May 20, 2026, subsequently a sub-vial was created on June 1, 2026. The inventory codes for the parent vial and sub-vial are 20260520-1803 and 20260601-1803, respectively.

Once all required fields have been completed confirm sub-vialing or use by clicking “Submit” at the bottom of the sub-vial window.

Pre-existing Inventory (EHSA Stock)

To enter an inventory code for a sub-vial created from a parent/stock vial that was transitioned from EHSA to SPROUT, select the “Code” field when creating the sub-vial and enter the date of use or preparation in the format YYYYMMDD followed by the parent vial’s original EHSA inventory code.
- Example: a parent vial was received in the lab on August 15, 1996 with inventory code 960815000, subsequently a sub-vial was created on October 16, 2026. The inventory code for new sub-vial is therefore 20261016-960815000.
Once all required fields have been completed confirm sub-vialing or use by clicking “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

iii. Recording Contamination Monitoring

As per the institutional radiation safety program, contamination monitoring is required within seven (7) days of use. It is critical authorized users log survey data for contamination monitoring within the prescribed timeframe in order to remain in compliance.
To record a survey for contamination monitoring via direct or indirect methods navigate to My Groups > Radioactive Materials.
Search for the appropriate parent or sub-vial and select the “Surveys” option to log contamination monitoring within seven (7) days of working with a radioisotope.
- Note: there are various options for surveys and also units, ensure you are selecting the correct survey type and units. If unsure, contact your HSO.

The “Survey History” window will appear a history of surveys performed for the inventory item. Select “New Survey” to log your contamination monitor results.
- Note: if you are unable to see this option, please contact your HSO for assistance.

D. Requesting Disposal of Radioactive Materials

All used-up radioactive materials and unused stock must be disposed through an appropriate waste stream and in the respective container in SPROUT.

This section will outline how to record disposal, create a waste container and how to request a radioactive waste pick up in SPROUT.

i. Creating Radioactive Waste Containers

Log into SPROUT.
Labs must first create a waste container in SPROUT in order to “dispose” waste. To create a waste container navigate to My Group > Waste and click the “Create New Container”.

The “New Waste Container” window will appear and you will be prompted to complete the following fields:

- Request Pickup Now: you can choose to submit a pickup request immediately after creating a container.
- Container code: Please enter the following format: RAMXXXX-YYYYMMDD-ZZ
  - RAMXXXX is the permit number for your lab
  - YYYYMMDD is the date the waste container was created on SPROUT
  - ZZ is the container number (i.e., 01 if only one waste container is being created on the specified date
- Waste type: select the appropriate type of radioactive waste that will be placed in the container
- Container type: select the appropriate type of container for the form of waste you are disposing
- Location: indicate the location where the container is stored
  - Please contact eps.hazdisposal@utoronto.ca if you require assistance in the SPROUT waste container creation process.
  - If you are working in a facility in which multiple labs use the same container to collect waste, contact eps.hazdisposal@utoronto.ca prior to creating your waste container on SPROUT.
Once the applicable fields have bee completed, select “Create New Container” at the bottom of the window.

ii. Logging Radioactive Waste Disposals

To dispose of radioactive waste in an existing container, navigate to My Group > Radioactive Materials and identify the inventory that will be fully or partially disposed and select the “Dispose” icon under the “Actions” column.

The “Inventory Disposal Form” will appear with a summary of the vial contents and you will be prompted to enter the radioactive waste details.
Under “Inventory Use details” enter the activity or volume of used radioisotope.
Existing containers will be listed under “Waste Container Detail”, at this point waste inventory can be added to the container by completing the following required fields:
- Percentage: enter the percentage of the generated waste that will be disposed in the respective container.
- Activity: enter the activity of the generated waste that will be disposed in the respective container.
- Total waste quantity: if the disposed quantity is different than the original amount extracted from the vial enter the total amount.
- Contents/description: add a description of the waste.
Confirm the disposal by checking the box above the “Attach File” field. Once all required information has been entered, select “Submit Log” at the bottom of the window.

iii. Requesting a Radioactive Waste Pick-up

Authorized users of radioactive materials may request radioactive waste pickups through SPROUT. Radioactive waste at the university is managed by the F&S Environmental Protection Service (EPS) and works closely with EHS. To submit a waste pickup request:

Log into SPROUT and navigate to My Group > Waste, a window will appear listing all active radioactive waste container for the corresponding Permit Holder. Each container has the following options under the “Actions” column:
- Add waste to this container: adding radioactive waste to an existing container can also be done from the “Waste” tab using this function, although it is recommended using the waste disposal option next to the appropriate inventory item in the “Radioactive Materials” tab.
- View container contents: use this option to view the current container contents.
- Request a pick-up of this waste container: use this option to request a radioactive waste pick-up from EPS
Select the “Request a pick-up of this waste container” option next to the desired container, select a desired pick-up date and enter your contact information. EPS will collect your waste as scheduling allows. This may be before or after your requested pickup date.
Select the pick-up location. Radioactive waste containers should only be stored and picked up from permitted spaces.
Review the container information and add any necessary comments, once satisfied click “Submit Request” at the bottom of the form.
- Note: this action can only be reversed by EHS. Contact your HSO for assistance if required.

EPS and EHS will receive a notification that a radioactive waste pickup has been requested. EPS will review the request and adjust the pickup date if required.
When radioactive waste is picked up from the requesting lab, the container and radioisotope inventory will be automatically removed from the Permit Holder’s inventory.
- Note: that the physical Radioactive Waste Tag that accompanies the EPS-provided radioactive waste containers must be completed and attached to your waste container for pickup to occur. If the Radioactive Waste Tag is not completed or filled out with the required information, your radioactive waste will not be removed from your lab space. Please refer to the EPS Radioactive Waste Disposal webpage for more information on radioactive waste procedures.
For assistance with waste radioactive waste disposal, contact EPS at 417-978-7000 or eps.hazdisposal@utoronto.ca

D. Managing Radioactive Materials, X-ray and Laser Permits

PIs and Supervisors with valid EHS permits can view and manage their permits on SPROUT. Permit Holders will be able to see additional sections within in SPROUT that are relevant to the type of permit they possess. Laboratory personnel can be designated as “Permit Applicants” or “Group Safety Delegates” by a Permit Holder in order to have expanded permit management permissions, refer to the My Group Guide for more information on roster and permit permission management.

EHS permits can be viewed and managed by PIs, Supervisors and designated laboratory staff through the “Permits & Forms” sections which can be found on the left sidebar menu in SPROUT:

Permits & Forms: section is used to for applying for new permits and for amending or renewing an existing permit.

i. Viewing or Applying for Radioactive Materials, X-ray or Laser permit

Log in to SPROUT and in the left sidebar menu, click “Permit & Forms” to open the SPROUT Permit module.
Navigate to the first dropdown menu which may display the option “Biosafety Permit CL1 or CL2”, scroll down until you find your desired permit type; radioactive materials, X-ray or laser permit.
Completed permits will display in the table below the permit selection section of the page.
To review a permit select the folder icon under the actions column of the table to “Open This Permit”

Upon opening the permit the following information is provided:
- Permit number
- Permit type
- Permit status
- Expiry and amendment dates
- Location and permitted spaces
- Permitted equipment
- Radioisotope possession and shipping limits (RAM only)
- Amendment history
To create a new application select your desired permit from the SPROUT permit module and select the “New Application” button.

A new window will appear with the permit application form with the following fields:
- Department: select your department from the dropdown menu. If you have multiple appointments, select your primary appointment.
- Department Chair: select the department chair of your primary appointment.
- Explain Reason for Application: provide a summary of the reason for applying for a new RAM, X-ray or Laser permit.
- Training Summary: a table with a list of training records relevant to the selected permit application will be displayed. Records highlighted in red indicate the course hasn’t been taken or it is expired. Courses highlighted in green mean they are still valid.
- Permitted equipment: use this section to attach existing RAM/X-ray/Laser equipment under the field “Requested Permitted Equipment”.
- Funding sources: in this section, you can connect existing funding sources with your permit. You can add up to three (3) funding sources.
- Ethics protocols: in this section. you can connect approved research ethics protocols whether the research project(s) involve work with human research participants or animals. You can add up to three (3) approved research ethics protocols (REP) or animal use protocols (APUs).

Saving Permit Progress

SPROUT allows PIs to save their progress by pressing the “Save” button and then “Exit” at the top-right corner. Once the form is saved, you can download a copy as a PDF by pressing the PDF icon in the top-left corner.
To access a saved and unsubmitted permit application navigate to the “Permits & Forms” on the left sidebar menu and select the appropriate permit type from the main dropdown. PIs will see permit applications and amendment requests at various stages of progress listed below.

To finish completing a permit application, select “Open this Permit” under actions for the relevant permit and click “Open” as shown below.

Submitting a Completed Application

Once all the mandatory fields are complete and the application is ready for submission, click the “Submit” at the top-right of the application. After submission, you will be directed to the Authorization Information page with the “Process Step” table below the application details. PIs will need to certify their application by pressing the “Certify” button.

The certification window will open, here applicants can review a summary of the application details. Once satisfied, enter “I agree” in the dialogue box at the top application and select “Certify” at the bottom-right corner.
- Note: If changes need to be made before submission select “Back to permits” and click “Open” below. When you are satisfied, click the “Submit” button and proceed to certify the application as outlined above.

Upon submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the applicant and the permit application will enter an approval queue. Permit applications are not considered approved until all steps in the approval process have been completed. For more info on the tracking the status of your permit application refer to the Checking the Status of a Permit Renewal or Amendment section below.

ii. Renewing and Amending a Radioactive Materials, X-ray or Laser Permit

Note: for Permit Holders looking to renew or amend a permit for the first time in SPROUT, existing permits may not be listed until the steps below have been completed. Additionally, fields in the permit application form will appear blank. Contact your HSO for guidance through your first amendment or renewal.

To renew or amend an existing EHS permit navigate to “Permit & Forms” on left sidebar menu and select the appropriate permit type (Radioactive Materials, X-ray, Laser) under the dropdown menu that has the default option “Biosafety Permit CL1 or CL2”
Once the appropriate permit type has been selected, you will have three options to select from:
- New Application: select this option if you are applying for a new permit
- New Amendment: select this option if you are amending an existing permit for changes such as adding a permitted room or new equipment
- New Renewal: select this option if your existing permit is expired or nearing expiry
Upon selection of the desired action, a dialogue box will appear listing your active permit(s) on record, select the appropriate permit and continue, you will be directed to the “Authorization Information” page, at the bottom select “Open” to pull up the permit application form.

The permit application form will be displayed with the information entered during the new permit application process. The fields can be updated to request new authorized radioisotopes in a RAM permit or register permitted equipment under an X-ray or Laser permit. For more information on completing this form see the Applying for Radioactive Materials, X-ray or Laser permit application section.

iii. Checking the Status of a Permit Renewal or Amendment

Permits that have been submitted for initial approval or amendment will undergo a review and approval process that may involve EHS and non-EHS reviewers. All reviewers in the queue must confirm their approval through the “Permits & Forms” section in SPROUT.

The status of a permit application, amendment or renewal can be checked by navigating to “Permit & Forms” and selecting the permit type for the permit under review. A list of permits at various stages of approval will be listed, identify the desired permit and click on the “Open this permit” folder under actions (as shown above), the process step table will be displayed at the bottom of the Authorization Information page.

The order of reviewers is listed in the table below. Note that different permit types and permit action requests will require different levels of review and approval.

Reviewer No.	New Application (RAM, X-ray)	New Application (Laser)	Amendment or Renewal (RAM, X-ray, Laser)
1	Health & Safety Officer	Health & Safety Officer	Health & Safety Officer
2	Departmental Chair	Departmental Chair	Manager, Research Regulatory Affairs
3	IRPC Chair	Manager, Research Regulatory Affairs
4	Manager, Research Regulatory Affairs

Environmental Health & Safety