No. 8 - August 6, 2002

 A REVIEW OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

Most of the questions we are asked (and most of the problems we encounter) concern radioactive and mixed waste.  Here are a few reminders about waste that might help you avoid some of the pitfalls.

(1) Waste Tags - You must complete your waste tag completely, this includes the nuclide, activity, RU's name, ready/call-in date and type of waste.  We need all of this information to properly process your waste.  If your tag is not complete we will not be able to pick it up.  Please leave the tag in its completeness.  Once the technician picks up your waste the top copy will be left for your records, in case a question should arise later about that particular package.

(2) Placement of the Tag - Please leave the tag either taped to the bag or very near the container for easy location.  Again without a tag we are not able to process the waste therefore we will not be able to pick the waste up if the tag is misplaced.

(3) Segregate your Radioactive Wastes by Half-Life - If your lab uses several different radionuclides including tritium or carbon-14, you need to segregate by half-life.  When we pick up your radioactive waste we take it to our waste management facility.  There all short-lived wastes (short lived is defined as waste containing radionuclides with half-lives of 120 days or less) are "held for decay".  After sufficient time has passed for the radioactivity to decay away we dispose of the waste as ordinary trash (which is why it is important for you to remove all radioactive labels from short-lived wastes).  The result is that other than labor, disposing of short-lived wastes costs us (and you) very little.  Wastes containing the commonly used radionuclides P-32, P-33, S-35, Cr-51 and I-125 are all short lived wastes.

On the other hand, wastes containing H-3 (tritium) and C-14, both of which have long half-lives, must all be packaged and shipped to the State of Washington for final disposal.  This is not cheap - figure about $1,000 per drum plus labor, transportation and several expensive permit fees.  Quickly you realize that if you use both long and short-lived radionuclides in your lab, it is very smart to keep the long-lived and short lived wastes segregated.  In that way we can store your bag of short-lived waste for decay and package your bag of long-lived waste for shipment.  We don't like to ship a whole drum of decayed-away short-lived waste to the permanent waste disposal site in Washington just because it has a tiny amount of H-3 or C-14 in it.  So, please segregate your radioactive waste by half-life.

(4) Segregate Your Waste by Media - This is an important category to pay attention to.  Dry compatible or solid waste includes things like plastic, paper, gloves and plastic pipettes.  It does not include glass (which breaks easily), animals or animal parts, liquid scintillation vials, or other liquids.  Do not place your lead into this waste container either as it is an EPA regulated hazardous waste and requires special handling.

Sharps are things like needles, glass, pipettes, scalpel blades etc.  All of these items must be packaged by themselves in either a sharps container on into a heavy cardboard box.  Please do not place syringes with blood or other fluids into the sharps container.  These must be dried before disposal.  If you use a box you must securely tape it shut so sharp stuff doesn't fall or stick out.

Liquid wastes can be generated in two forms- bulk and vials.  We prefer that you place LSC vials back into the cardboard trays and boxes they originally come in.  These can be stacked up to 4 high in a plastic bag and labeled with one waste tag.  Please be sure the vial caps are on tight and please do NOT mix paper, gloves or other trash in with the vials.  If you generate Non-Hazardous-Non-Toxic bulk liquid you must collect it in a plastic (not glass) bottle, which we will provide at no cost.  Please keep it well labeled and remember the guidelines on half-life segregation.

If you have any other questions regarding proper waste disposal please refer to the "green sheet".  If you need a new one check out our website - www.rso.utah.edu under the button "Dispose of Radioactive Waste" While you are there you might want to request a pickup online as well.

Other things worth mentioning........

If you are ordering large amounts of radioactive material to "share" with another lab you MUST do the following things:
 (A) Have documentation on file  that the recipient is authorized for the radionuclide and amount you wish to transfer
 (B) Indicate a T (transfer) on your Disposition sheet (RPR 13C) of the amount and RU receiving the material
 (C) The lab receiving the material must complete a new RPR 13A and B so our department is officially aware of the amount of activity in each location.  Please ask your radiation analyst or call our main office at 581-6141 if you have any questions.

When you receive an order of radioactive material, the outside of the package has been surveyed for contamination.  It is your responsibility to inspect and survey the inside packaging.  We would like to remind you to do this in a cautious manner as we have had several spills associated with faulty inner packaging.  Please be sure to follow the directions outlined on RPR13B which are as follows:

 1.  Assume that container and packaging materials may be contaminated.
 2.  Open in hood, if possible; wear gloves; work over absorbent paper.
 3.  Use shielding and tongs for energetic beta or gamma emitters
 4.  Monitor thoroughly for contamination, including packaging materials, work area, clothing, hands etc.

Karen S. Langley

08/06/02