Dalhousie University Radiation Safety Office

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Dalhousie UniversityRadiation Safety Office

• Radioactive Waste Disposal

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Principal Investigator Responsibilities

• It is the responsibility of the P.I. to ensure
  that all workers in their research group who will
  be handling radioactive materials are registered
  with the Radiation Safety Office and have
  completed required radiation safety training.
• Workers within the research group who carry out
  their duties in a registered radiation lab must
  receive instruction relating to the radiation
  hazards even if they will not be handling
  radioactive materials themselves.

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Canadian Regulations

• The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)
  regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials
  to protect health, safety and the environment and
  to respect Canadas international commitments on
  the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• http//www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

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Dalhousie UniversityRadiation Safety Program
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Radiation Safety Committee

• Dr. A. Chatt SLOWPOKE
• Dr. M. Dobson Chair, Biochemistry
• Dr. R. Dunlap Physics
• Dr. D. Hoskin Pathology
• P. Jones Secretary/RSO
• Dr. W. Louch Director, EHS
• K. Murphy Pharmacology
• Dr. N. Ridgway ARC
• Dr. M. Zentilli Earth Sciences

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Instructions

• Refresher training is intended for those
  radioisotope workers who have previously attended
  the Radiation Safety Training course prior to May
  of 2003. The refresher training module is not
  intended to substitute for the full day training
  session required of all new or previously
  untrained workers. Refresher training must be
  documented by submitting the required form and
  quiz found in the Forms section of the EHS web
  site at http//www.dal.ca/ehs

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An Overview of Bill C-45

• The Government of Canada, through the
  Department of Justice, should institute a study
  of the accountability of corporate executives and
  directors for the wrongful or negligent acts of
  the corporation and should introduce in the
  Parliament of Canada such amendments to
  legislation as are necessary to ensure that
  corporate executives and directors are held
  properly accountable for workplace safety.
• Report of the Westray Mine Public Inquiry,
  Recommentation 73

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New Legal Duty to Prevent Harm

• New section 217.1 of the Criminal Code creates a
  legal duty not only in relation to work but to
  all tasks
• Everyone who undertakes, or has the authority,
  to direct how another person does work or
  performs a task is under a legal duty to take
  reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to that
  person, or any other person, arising from that
  work or task.

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Application of Legal Duty

• Applies to all activities of an organization, not
  just employment-related tasks
• Duty is imposed upon individuals who have control
  and direction over others (or authority to do so)
  in the performance of a task
• Duty is owed to people performing the task and
  those who may be affected by the task (i.e. the
  public)

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Consequences for individuals

• Personally exposed to charge of criminal
  negligence causing death or bodily harm where
• Contravene the new duty in failing to take
  reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm
• Demonstrate a wanton or reckless disregard for
  the lives or safety of others
• Penalty on Conviction
• 10 years in prison in the case of injury
• Life imprisonment in the event of death

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Nuclear Substance Waste Disposal

• Condition 20 of Dalhousie Universitys Nuclear
  Substance and Radiation Devices Licence outlines
  limits for the disposal of unsealed nuclear
  substances to municipal garbage, sewer systems or
  to the atmosphere.

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CNSC Defined Disposal Limits
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Categories of Radioactive Waste

• Dry Solid Waste Includes
• dehydrated biological material
• paper
• glassware
• gloves
• etc.

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Categories of Radioactive Waste contd

• Liquid
• Aqueous readily soluble or dispersible in
  water.
• Non-aqueous not readily soluble or dispersible
  in water (organic based LS fluids)

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Categories of Radioactive Waste contd

• Biological Waste
• animal carcasses
• bedding
• solid excreta
• tissue
• organs
• blood
• etc.

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Categories of Radioactive Waste contd

• Sharps
• broken glass
• needles
• razor blades
• scalpels
• etc.

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Dry Solid Waste

• Boxes as shown are to be used exclusively for the
  storage of radioactive waste.
• Boxes must be lined with a sturdy garbage bag,
  preferably plain orange.
• Boxes are available through Tupper stores.
• Unprotected sharps must be packed in a puncture
  proof container before placing in box.
• Any radiation warning signs must be defaced or
  removed prior to packaging.
• Apart from Carbon-14 waste (which must be
  segregated) nuclear substances may be mixed.
• Liquids, animal carcasses and tissues must not be
  placed in the boxes.
• Waste boxes must be shielded to ensure radiation
  levels are less than 2.5 µSv/hr.

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Dry Solid Waste - Labeling

• The following information must appear on the box
  prior to storage for decay
• ? nuclear substance
• ? approximate activity
• ? date packaged
• ? initials of person who packaged material
• ? principal investigator
• ? department

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Dry Solid Waste contd

• Once waste has been packaged arrangements should
  be made with the RSO to transport the material to
  one of the storage rooms for decay, prior to
  disposal. Solid waste containing nuclear
  substances with a half-life of lt 90 days are kept
  for a minimum of ten half-lives prior to shipping
  for incineration as biomedical waste.

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Dry Solid Waste contd
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Dry Solid Waste contd

• Dry solid waste containing long lived nuclear
  substances such as H-3 (T ½ 12.3 yr) and C-14 (T
  ½ 5730 yr) should be packaged as the short-lived
  waste (with a T ½ of lt 90 days). Tritium waste
  may be mixed, however C-14 waste must be
  segregated.
• All radiation warning signs must be defaced or
  removed from items placed in the boxes.
• Tritium waste is shipped for incineration. It is
  the responsibility of the RSO to ensure that
  regulatory limits are not exceeded prior to
  shipment.
• C-14 waste is re-packaged and sent to landfill.
  It is the responsibility of the RSO to ensure
  that regulatory limits for disposal are not
  exceeded prior to shipment.

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Aqueous Liquid Waste

• Aqueous Liquid Waste
• Aqueous liquid waste containing nuclear
  substances must be decanted to the colour-coded 1
  gallon bottles provided by the Radiation Safety
  Office if the amount of radioactivity per litre
  is in excess of the release limits outlined in
  Table I. Bottles will be colour coded as such
• Short lived nuclear substances T½ lt 30 days -
  MAGENTA
• Medium lived nuclear substances T½ 30 days to 90
  days - GREEN
• Long lived nuclear substances T ½ gt 90 days -
  YELLOW
• When full, arrangements must be made with the
  Radiation Safety Officer to transport the aqueous
  liquid waste to the appropriate decay room. The
  outside of the bottle must be clean and free of
  wet or dried liquids.
• All information must be included on the bottle
  tag provided

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Non-Aqueous Liquid Waste

• Place intact vials in a cardboard box lined with
  a heavy plastic bag.
• Label box lab of origin nuclear substance
  solvent estimated activity signature of person
  packing waste.
• Arrange with EHS (2495) for next scheduled pick
  up.
• Boxes found to contain materials other than
  counting vials will be returned to lab of origin
  for re-packaging.
• Vials are shipped for incineration.

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Biological Waste

• Arrangements for the disposal of radioactive
  contaminated biological waste must be made with
  the Radiation Safety Office.
• As biological waste must be shipped for
  incineration arrangements must be made for
  refrigeration or freezing prior to disposal.
• Prior to shipment the lab of origin must be able
  to demonstrate that regulatory disposal limits
  are met.

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Sharps Broken Glass Waste

• Sharps must be packaged in an approved sharps
  container.
• Broken glass must be packed in a sturdy container
  such as a cardboard box. It can be mixed with
  general laboratory broken glass.
• Arrange with Radiation Safety or EHS for pick up
  on the monthly solvent pick up date.

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P.I. Responsibilities With Respect To Waste
Disposal

• Collection of all radioactive waste arising from
  activities under their direction in accordance
  with Dalhousie policies and permit conditions.
• Assuring that radioactive contents do not exceed
  the quantity indicated.
• Packaging of radioactive waste as required by
  university policies.
• Removal of radiation warning signs from anything
  associated with an experiment that is deemed not
  radioactive and will be disposed of to regular
  trash.
• Maintenance of accurate records of all disposal
  routes for all nuclear substances acquired
  against their Nuclear Substance User permit.

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Radiation Safety Responsibilities

• The Radiation Safety Office is responsible for
  developing policies and procedures for the safe
  storage, collection, and processing of
  radioactive waste, as well as, managing the
  disposal of waste in accordance with the terms
  and conditions of the universitys Nuclear
  Substance and Radiation Devices Licence as issued
  by the CNSC.