Authorised Indian Distributor
Saxsons Group
New Delhi, India · Since 1997
Dose Calibrator QA SourcesNIST-Traceable Reference Standards
NIST-traceable sealed radioactive reference sources for dose calibrator constancy, accuracy and linearity quality assurance. Available in Co-57, Co-60, Cs-137 and Ba-133 — individually or as sets — for daily, monthly and annual QA programmes per AERB requirements.
Key Features
- NIST-traceable calibration — direct comparison to national standards
- Available in Co-57, Co-60, Cs-137 and Ba-133 — individually or as sets
- ±5% measurement accuracy across the calibrated activity range
- Consistent 30 mL polyethylene vial geometry for reproducible measurements
- Colour-coded sources for instant visual identification
All Features
- NIST-traceable calibration — direct comparison to national standards
- Available in Co-57, Co-60, Cs-137 and Ba-133 — individually or as sets
- ±5% measurement accuracy across the calibrated activity range
- Consistent 30 mL polyethylene vial geometry for reproducible measurements
- Colour-coded sources for instant visual identification
- Epoxy matrix activity composition — uniform distribution, no settling
- Sealed construction — no contamination risk, long-term stable geometry
- Activity certificate with calibration date and NIST traceability statement
- Long half-life isotopes — years of service from a single set
- Covers the energy range of all clinical nuclear medicine isotopes
- Supports constancy, accuracy and linearity QA per AERB requirements
- Available as a complete 4-source QA set for annual dose calibrator testing
Technical Specifications
| Isotopes available | Cobalt-57 (Co-57); Cobalt-60 (Co-60); Caesium-137 (Cs-137); Barium-133 (Ba-133) |
| Physical form | Radioactive epoxy in 30 mL polyethylene vial (sealed) |
| Activity composition | 20 mL active epoxy volume — uniform radionuclide distribution |
| Accuracy | ±5% (calibrated by direct comparison to NIST standards) |
| Traceability | NIST (USA National Institute of Standards and Technology) |
| Geometry | Consistent 30 mL vial — same as clinical radiopharmaceutical vials |
| Colour coding | Each isotope colour-coded for unambiguous visual identification |
| Half-lives | Co-57: 272 d; Co-60: 5.27 y; Cs-137: 30.1 y; Ba-133: 10.5 y |
| Activity certificate | Provided; calibration date, stated activity, NIST statement |
| Energy coverage | Ba-133 (81 keV) to Co-60 (1,173 / 1,332 keV) — full clinical range |
| AERB classification | Sealed source; AERB licence required; documentation supplied |
Applications
Dose calibrator QA — the reference behind every dispensed patient dose
Daily Constancy Check
AERB and AAPM require daily constancy testing of every dose calibrator. A single long-lived source (Co-57 or Cs-137) placed in the dose calibrator well verifies consistent instrument response before the first patient dose.
Annual Accuracy Verification
Annual accuracy testing per IAEA TECDOC-602 and AERB regulations. The measured activity must match the source certificate within ±10% (accuracy). NIST traceability makes the result defensible at regulatory inspection.
Linearity Testing
Cs-137 (30-year half-life) used for linearity testing methods where decay linearity cannot be used. Verify the dose calibrator response is linear across the clinical activity range (37 kBq to several GBq).
Energy Geometry Calibration
Each isotope's photon energy tests the dose calibrator's geometry factor at a different energy point. The Ba-133 / Cs-137 / Co-57 / Co-60 set covers 81 keV to 1,332 keV — spanning all clinical radionuclides.
NABH / JCI Accreditation
Accreditation standards require documented dose calibrator QA with NIST-traceable sources. Source certificates, constancy records and accuracy test results form the required QA dossier.
New Isotope Geometry Factors
When adding a new isotope (e.g., Ac-225, Pb-212) to the clinical programme, the reference source set helps establish and verify the geometry/calibration factor for the new radionuclide.
Why Dose Calibrator QA Sources?
NIST-traceable calibration means your dose calibrator QA result has an unbroken chain to the US national measurement standard. This satisfies AERB requirements, supports NABH accreditation and withstands regulatory challenge.
Ba-133 (81 keV), Co-57 (122 keV), Cs-137 (662 keV) and Co-60 (1,173/1,332 keV) bracket the full photon energy range of clinical radionuclides. One set covers every dose calibrator QA requirement across diagnostic and therapeutic programmes.
Long half-life isotopes and sealed epoxy matrix construction deliver years of QA service from a single source set. No liquid handling, no contamination risk, no geometry variation — just repeatable, reliable reference measurements.
Catalogs & Resources
Manufacturer product page. Contact Saxsons for AERB licence documentation, source-set pricing and replacement scheduling.
Dose Calibrator QA Sources
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FAQ
Dose-calibrator reference sources — questions we hear from Indian nuclear-medicine teams
Why every calibrator needs a reference-source set, why the four-isotope combination covers the full energy curve, what NIST traceability actually documents, and the replacement cycle per source half-life.
Q.Why does every NM department need a dose-calibrator reference-source set?
A dose calibrator drifts. Electronic drift, contamination in the ion chamber, ambient temperature effects and calibration-factor gradual error accumulate quietly. The daily constancy check and the annual accuracy verification catch that drift — but only if there is a NIST- or PTB-traceable reference source of known activity to check against. A department without a proper reference-source set is running dosimetry on trust.
Q.Why four isotopes (Co-57, Co-60, Cs-137, Ba-133) in the set?
Each isotope anchors a specific energy range in the dose calibrator response curve. Co-57 (122 keV) verifies the Tc-99m / I-125 region. Co-60 (1.17 / 1.33 MeV) and Cs-137 (662 keV) verify the mid-to-high-energy region relevant to I-131 (364 keV) and F-18 (511 keV). Ba-133 (multiple peaks 81–383 keV) provides the multi-energy cross-check. Together they define the full accuracy curve — a single-isotope reference source only verifies one point.
Q.What is NIST traceability and why does AERB inspection ask for it?
NIST (or PTB in Europe) is the national primary-standards laboratory whose activity measurements define the calibration base for the country. A NIST-traceable source ships with a certificate that chains its activity value back to the primary standard through documented measurement transfers. AERB inspection reads that certificate as proof the calibrator is verified against a traceable reference — not against the calibrator's own past readings.
Q.How often does the source set need to be replaced?
Every source has a half-life-driven service window. Co-57 (272-day half-life) is typically replaced every 12–18 months as the activity approaches the low end of the calibrator's useful range. Cs-137 (30-year half-life) is essentially permanent. Co-60 (5.3-year) and Ba-133 (10.5-year) are replaced on multi-year cycles. The AAPM TG-181 annual accuracy verification protocol specifies when a source is no longer useful.
Q.How is the reference-source set supplied and licensed in India?
Distributed across India by Saxsons Group as sealed radioactive reference sources under AERB import licensing. Each set ships with NIST-traceable activity certificates, calibration date, source-form documentation and disposal-return support at end-of-life. Saxsons handles the AERB sealed-source import registration and the department's receiving documentation.
Dose Calibrator QA Sources supplier in India — Saxsons Group
Saxsons Group has supplied nuclear medicine equipment to over 1,000 Indian hospitals since 1988. Every consignment of Dose Calibrator QA Sources ships with cold-chain logistics, AERB import documentation, CDSCO registration references and a Certificate of Analysis delivered before dispatch — the paperwork your radiation-safety and procurement teams need, pre-assembled.
- Nationwide delivery footprint — every metro and tier-2 city in India, scheduled to your treatment / procedure calendar.
- AERB & CDSCO documentation — import licence, radiation-safety paperwork and RSO briefing pre-assembled for the audit file.
- 40+ years in Indian oncology — long-standing supply relationships with AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and hundreds of tertiary-care centres.
- Single point of accountability — one purchase order, one delivery contact, one after-sales team across the whole product family.
Also supplied by Saxsons Group across India
Complete your dose calibrator QA programme
Contact Saxsons Group for NIST-traceable QA source sets, AERB licence documentation and constancy testing support in India.