Sealed Source Tracking System
This article was originally written and submitted as part of a Canada 150 Project, the Innovation Storybook, to crowdsource stories of Canadian innovation with partners across Canada. The content has since been migrated to Ingenium’s Channel, a digital hub featuring curated content related to science, technology and innovation.
Exposure device used in industrial radiography. It contains radioactive sealed sources tracked under the SSTS.
The use and transfer of high-risk radioactive sealed sources are among the activities regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). To help ensure the safety of these sources and to support the CNSC in its mandate to protect Canadians, a national registry and a Web-based tracking system were developed.
The CNSC uses the online Sealed Source Tracking System (SSTS) to help prevent unauthorized possession of these sources. The location and transfer of sources are monitored, and the shipper of a radioactive sealed source is alerted if the intended recipient is not licensed by the CNSC or if the destination is not authorized to receive such material.
The CNSC’s SSTS was the first of its kind in the world, and is one of the innovative reasons why Canada is a world leader in nuclear safety.
For more information, visit the CNSC’s Sealed Source Tracking page.
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.
