APPENDIX G -- RADIOACTIVE WASTE GUIDELINES
WASTE PROCEDURES
Labeled waste containers, plastic liners and radioactive labels
may be obtained by contacting the Radiation Safety Office, unless
otherwise indicated below. Use the following procedures for all
radioactive waste. As with all radioactive materials, contaminated
waste must be secured from unauthorized removal. Always contact the
Radiation Safety Office if you have any questions.
A. Solids
Solid waste containers will be provided in two primary sizes: 10
and 32 gallons. Liquids shall not be placed in solid waste
containers. Relatively small volumes (a few ml's) of aqueous liquid
may be transferred onto absorbent material and placed in an
appropriate solid radioactive waste container. Do not use this
technique for organic solvents; flammable materials must never be
placed in solid waste containers. Lead must not be placed in solid
waste containers; it must be picked up separately. Segregate solid
waste according to radionuclide half-life, as follows:
- <90 days
- >90 days
- transuranics elements (atomic numbers greater than 92)
For solid waste which will be held for decay (i.e., radionuclides
with half-lives <90 days), remove or deface all radiation
labels before placing materials in waste containers. Additionally,
solid waste shall be handled as follows.
- Glass pipettes and broken glassware - All glass
pipettes and broken glassware must be placed in a cardboard box,
lined with a clear plastic bag. When full, secure the box with the
lid closed (please use tape) and place it into a 10 or 32 gallon
"general labware" waste container of the same radioisotope
category. The Radiation Safety Office can provide boxes and
liners.
- General labware - Paper, plastic (including plastic
pipettes), gloves, unbroken glassware, etc. must be placed in 10
or 32 gallon containers, lined with a clear plastic bag.
- Biohazards - As a general rule, if you generate waste
that is both radioactive and biohazardous, you should contact both
the Biosafety Officer and the Radiation Safety Officer for proper
handling procedures. Prior to pickup by the Radiation Safety
Office, any solid waste contaminated with potentially infectious
material must be sterilized. Do not place radioactive biohazard
material in "red bags" unless the radioactivity is in exempt
quantities. Red bags are only to be used for materials which are
to be incinerated. Sharps (needles and syringes, scalpels, etc.)
must be placed in special sharps containers and properly labeled;
contact the Radiation Safety Office for handling. "Clinical waste"
that contains only H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <0.05
uCi/gram is not regulated as radioactive waste and may be disposed
of as medical waste.
B. Liquids
All liquid waste must be stored in labeled containers which are
compatible with the waste materials. Contact the Environmental Management Office for questions about compatibility. The Radiation
Safety Office can provide 5 gallon plastic carboys for aqueous waste.
Liquid wastes must not contain solids, such as pipette tips, gels, or
filters. Liquid waste should be segregated into the following
categories.
- Water miscible, non-hazardous aqueous liquids
- Liquids containing less than 10 uCi may be poured down the
sewer system in quantities not to exceed 10 uCi total per
Authorized User per day. Records must be kept of all these
disposals (in uCi) and the information must be provided to the
Radiation Safety Office on a monthly basis. The intent of this
permission is to dispose of small quantities of radioactivity
contained in large volumes of fluid (>1 liter). Examples of
such solutions are rinse water and buffer solutions.
Radioactive liquids discharged to the sanitary sewer should be
flushed with large amounts of running water. Liquid waste
contaminated with plutonium or hazardous chemical constituents
may not be poured down the sewer system.
- Liquids containing greater than 10 uCi will be picked up by
the Radiation Safety Office for disposal. If the radionuclides
have half-lives less than 90 days, the waste may be held for
decay in the laboratory and then disposed of into the sanitary
sewer system (as described above) after it has decayed to 10
uCi or less.
- Liquids containing biohazards must be sterilized (by
autoclave or chemical methods) prior to pick up by the
Radiation Safety Office. Contact the Radiation Safety Officer
for specific approval. Segregate waste according to isotope and
half-life, as follows:
--H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <0.05 uCi/gram of
waste
--half-life <90 days
--half-life > 90 days
- Hazardous liquids (mixed waste)
Waste that is hazardous and radioactive is called mixed waste.
This waste is not permitted to be poured into the sewer system
(this includes biodegradable scintillation fluid). All mixed waste
will be picked up and disposed of by the Environmental Management Office. The total mixed and hazardous waste in a
laboratory cannot exceed 55 gallons.
Mixed waste containers must comply with all the rules for
radioactive waste and hazardous waste (e.g., must have a
"Hazardous Waste" label, date the container is full, list of the
contents, etc.). Containers for scintillation vials (30 or 55
gallon drums) will be provided by the Environmental Management Office. Labs generating very few vials may be provided
10 gallon waste receptacles. Containers for bulk liquid mixed
waste are not provided. Mixed waste must be segregated into
scintillation fluid waste or non-scintillation fluid waste.
- Scintillation fluids - Segregate scintillation
fluids into transuranics and non-transuranics. Normal,
flammable cocktail (flash point less than 140_F) and
"biodegradable" cocktail should be combined. Use of
biodegradable fluid is encouraged, as it minimizes the amount
of flammable liquid in the laboratory, but it still must be
treated as hazardous. The fluid may be in vials or in bulk
form.
- Vial Drums - Proper packaging for vials drums (30 or
55 gallons) is as follows:
1. place a 4 mil clear liner in the drum;
2. pour approximately 4 inches of absorbent material inside the
liner;
3. place a second 4 mil clear liner inside the first liner in
drum; and
4. fill inner container with vials (caps must be tightly
fastened).
The top must be kept on the drum at all times, except when
filling with vials. Leave a few inches of room at the top so
that the drum may be properly closed by the waste technician.
Note: Do not place absorbent or other waste in with vials. This
packaging method is required by our waste vendor. If a smaller
container is utilized, follow the above directions.
- Bulk Liquids - Bulk scintillation fluids must be
placed into appropriate containers. The recommended containers
are 1 gallon glass jars with screw tops. Do not mix bulk
scintillation fluid with non-scintillation radioactive waste or
with other hazardous fluids.
- Non-scintillation fluids - The production of this
waste is strongly discouraged by the Radiation Safety Office.
They are extremely expensive to dispose of and, in some cases,
impossible. Some examples of difficult wastes are radioactive
materials mixed with any:
--flammable liquids (e.g., xylene)
--corrosive liquids (pH less than 2 or greater than 12.5)
--reactives (e.g., peroxides)
--toxics (e.g., mercury)
The Radiation Safety Office and the Environmental Management Office shall be contacted prior to producing any of
this type of waste to see if it is banned and, if not, to
determine proper handling procedures. Laboratory procedures may
have to be altered to render the materials non-hazardous (for
example, by neutralizing acids or destroying peroxides).
C. Animals, Animal Excrement and Bedding
Unless exempt (see below), all animal waste contaminated with
radioactivity must be picked up by the Radiation Safety Office,
including carcasses, excrement and bedding. Animals must be kept
separate from excrement and bedding. The Authorized User should have
freezer space to adequately store animals for a minimum of 90 days.
If space is not available, contact the Radiation Safety Office prior
to generating animal waste.
Animal waste must be placed in a clear, 4 mil plastic bag prior to
pick up by the Radiation Safety Office. Freeze animals in an
elongated position to facilitate packing into a drum. Authorized
Users are responsible for insuring that the frozen carcasses will fit
into 30 gallon drums. Animal waste shall be segregated according to
radionuclide half-life and concentration:
- H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <0.05
uCi/gram, averaged over the initial weight of the animal (This
material is not regulated as radioactive waste and may be treated
as normal animal waste.)
- half-lives <90 days or I-125 in concentrations
>0.05 uCi/gram
- half-lives >90 days or H-3 or C-14 in concentrations
> 0.05 uCi/gram
- transuranics
WASTE PICK UP
The Radiation Safety Office will provide "Radioactive Waste
Receipt" forms to all laboratories. The Authorized User (or designee)
must complete all applicable information. Use a separate ticket for
each container. Attach carbon copies to the waste container and mail
the top copy to the Radiation Safety Office. You may bring the copies
to the Radiation Safety Office to avoid the time required for campus
mail.
List all constituents of liquid waste, such as xylene, benzene and
methanol, and the percent of each. Record a pH measurement on the
aqueous portion of any waste. Describe any chemical or biological
hazards present in the waste. Mixed waste must follow all procedures
required for hazardous waste. The following will help in completing
the waste forms:
- Dry waste - indicate container size (in gallons) and total
activity of each radionuclide.
- Aqueous waste (generally carboys) - indicate volume (in
gallons) and total activity of each radionuclide.
- Liquid scintillation vials - indicate container size (in
gallons), approximate number of vials, and total activity of each
radionuclide.
- Animal/biological - indicate approximate volume,
radionuclide(s), and total activity per gram averaged over the
initial weight of the animal(s).
SHARED ROOMS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE CONTAINERS
Because of safety and regulatory problems, the practice of shared
waste containers is strongly discouraged. Use of shared containers
requires pre-approval. Authorized Users may be approved by the
Radiation Safety Office. Mixed waste (e.g., scintillation vials) will
also require approval by Environmental Management. Approval
will require one Authorized User to take responsibility for the
container and its contents and may be terminated if the specific
requirements below are not met.
- all Authorized Users must be specifically approved for use of
the room
- the room must be posted and locked when unattended
- each Authorized User is responsible for conducting and
documenting at least monthly surveys and wipes of the area (one
designated individual may perform this function, but copies must
be kept by all Authorized Users involved)
- waste records must be kept by each Authorized User
- when the container is full, a radioactive waste ticket must be
filled out for each Authorized User
Appendix F | Radiation Safety Manual | Appendix H
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