Once the waste is packaged, it needs proper labeling so that there is no uncertainty
about what the waste parcel contains. Each item must be labeled with:
- Authorized Investigator's name.
- each radionuclide.
- the activity of each radionuclide (in millicuries).
- room number.
- phone number.
- mailbox number.
- budget number.
- a Radioactive Materials Label, consisting
of the radiation symbol (propellor) and the words "Caution,
Ratioactive Materials". The specifics of this requirement are
detailed in Chapter 14 of the UW Radiation Safety Manual.
Lead is a hazardous material and must not be placed in radioactive
waste. It is recyclable, though. Lead that is not contaminated with
radioactive material, and which has had all radioactive labels on it removed or
defaced, can be removed from your lab by Radiation Safety
free of charge. Simply place the lead items in a small box and contact
Radiation Safety for a waste collection. Be sure to mention that you have
lead for recycling. It will be picked up on the regular radioactive waste
collection days (Wednesday - Thursday each week).
Packaging waste is a topic that is addressed both in the
Radiation Safety Training Class and the
Radiation Safety Manual, Chapter 14.
If you are not sure
how to package your radioactive waste please call
Radiation Safety at
206.543.6328 to:
- Ask for advice or for the answers to related questions
- Request that a copy of the Radiation Safety Manual, Chapter 14
be sent to you.
or consult: Radiation Safety
Manual, Chapter 14.
Properly packaging radioactive waste is very important for safety,
regulatory reasons, and to maintain a healthy, worry-free working
environment for everyone at the UW.
Radiation Safety exists primarily
to address these kinds of issues, so please call if you need help or advice.
See Notes on RAM Waste
for a printable list of radioactive waste packaging tips.
Long-Lived Radioactive Waste at the University of Washington is all
radioactive waste that has a half-life
of greater than 100 days. Waste with a half-life of 100 days or more shall not
be stored for decay in your spaces . When a container of waste is full it must be
picked up by Radiation Safety.
If you put different radioactive isotopes in the same waste container, the isotope with
the longest half-life is used to determine the amount of time material is stored.
If you mix isotopes with half-lives greater than 100 days (e.g., H-3, C-14) with short-lived
isotopes, the waste will be considered as Long-Lived Radioactive Waste and
will be charged accordingly. The costs for long-lived wate disposal is significantly more than
short-lived waste
Use Radioactive Waste Collection Record
(RSO Form 150) - (pdf) to document materials stored in containersfor pick up by
Radiation Safety. For questions contact Radiation Safety at 206.543.6328.
The University of Washington is allowed to dispose of radioactive material which is
soluble or readily dispersible in water into the sanitary sewer, as long
as quantities are restricted.
There are only a few approved
sanitary sewer disposable Liquid Scintillation Cocktails.
Organic Solvents and other hazardous materials generally cannot be disposed of into
the sanitary sewer. See the
current list of chemicals approved for sanitary sewer disposal
and the
Non-Regulated Chemical Waste Management
guide for more information on sanitary sewer disposal of chemical wastes.
The single laboratory radioactive material allowance for each
calendar quarter is as follows:
| H-3 |
1000 uCi/3 month period |
| C-14 |
200 uCi/3 month period |
| I-125 |
100 uCi/3 month period |
| All other radionuclides combined |
200 uCi/3 month period |
When multiple laboratories are assigned to one Authorized Investigator
the sanitary sewer disposal allowance for the group is the sum of the allwances for each
lab (e.g. if there are 6 labs assigned to an Authorized Investigator the sanitary sewer
disposal limits are 6 times the limits listed above).
Records of all sanitary sewer disposal must be maintained by each Authorized
Investigator to show compliance within the limits.
RSO Form 170 , "Quarterly
Sink Disposal Record for Radioactive Material" (pdf)
is available from this
website, or if you prefer, one can be mailed to you. Please call Radiation
Safety at 206.543.0463 from 8 AM to 5 PM to request one.
Several Liquid Scintillation Cocktail (LSC) manufacturers now produce non-hazardous fluids, some marketed
as being sanitary sewer disposable. There are currently only a few
sanitary sewer disposable LSCs
approved for sanitary sewer disposal by the State of Washington. Please be sure
you are using one of the approved fluids before disposing of any LSC
to the sanitary sewer system.
LSC is used to detect minute quantities of weak beta or alpha emitting
radionuclides. In order for it to work at maximum efficiency, the fluid
must typically be mixed with the radionuclide itself, contaminating the
fluid.
When the LSC is composed of hazardous materials, the waste produced is by
definition
mixed waste
(hazardous material with a radioactive component).
Special exemptions are in place for LSC, however, when the radioactive
material concentration is below certain regulatory limits. This allows
the disposal of LSC as Hazardous Material, but does not necessarily mean
sanitary sewer disposal is allowed. Hazardous Material can not generally be disposed
of in the sanitary sewer (See the
current list of chemicals approved for sanitary sewer disposal
for more information).
Short-Lived Radioactive Waste at the Univeristy of Washington
is all radioactive waste that has a half-life
of 100 days or less. Waste with a half-life of 100 days or less may be stored for decay in your
authorized lab spaces or can be picked up by Radiation Safety for storage in
our Radioactive Waste Storage Facility.
If you put different radioactive isotopes in the same waste container, the isotope with
the longest half-life is used to determine the amount of time material is stored.
If you mix isotopes with half-lives greater than 100 days (e.g., H-3, C-14) with short-lived
isotopes, the waste will be considered as Long-Lived Radioactive Waste and
will be charged accordingly. The costs for long-lived wate disposal is significantly more than
short-lived waste
Use Short-Lived Radioactive
Waste Certification (RSO Form 176) - (pdf) to document decay in storage in your authorized lab or
for pick up by Radiation Safety. For questions contact Radiation Safety at 206.543.6328.
- Package and label your waste properly;
- For Long-Lived radioactive waste (Half-life greater than 100 days) use Radioactive Waste Collection Record
(RSO Form 150) - (pdf) to document materials stored in containers for pick up by
Radiation Safety.
- For Short-Lived radioactive waste (Half-life 100 days or less) use Short-Lived Radioactive
Waste Certification (RSO Form 176) - (pdf) for pick up by Radiation Safety.
- Call Radiation Safety (206.543.6328 or 206.543.0463) for a collection.
(Or Submit an e-mail collection request)
When you call, simply inform Radiation Safety of the location of the waste
and any details you feel are important for them to know. The information
will be put on the week's collection list.
Be sure to call for pickup by Tuesday night if
you would like a collection that week. The list of collection locations is
compiled every Wednesday morning and each location visited by the close of
business that Thursday.
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