High Level Laboratory Facility

The High Level Laboratory Facility (HLLF) consists of a secure suite of laboratories housed in the Nuclear Research Building. The only facility of its kind in Canada, the HLLF is licensed as a nuclear facility and is designed for research applications utilizing substantial quantities of unsealed sources of radioactivity.

The High Level Laboratory Facility (HLLF) consists of a secure suite of laboratories housed in the Nuclear Research Building (NRB), adjacent to MNR. The only facility of its kind in Canada, the HLLF is licensed as a nuclear facility and is designed for research applications utilizing substantial quantities of unsealed sources of radioactivity. An infrastructure grant from CFI/OIT in 2000 allowed for the expansion and renovation of the NRB and HLLF, resulting in modern laboratory space that is custom designed for nuclear research. In 2011, the size of the laboratory facility was more than doubled thanks to a KIP grant from the federal government. The new ~16,000 square foot state of the art research facility includes remote neutron irradiation capabilities, a clean room for radiopharmaceutical production and several hot cells dedicated to research.

At the present time, the HLLF is home to MNR’s isotope development lab, technical support services, isotope quality assurance systems, the McMaster Centre for Neutron Activation Analysis, a Health Physics analysis lab, the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, and both radiochemistry and radiation biology research groups.

An empty lab inside McMaster's High Level Laboratory Facilities.
Lab inside McMaster’s High Level Laboratory Facility.