Radioactive Waste Generator Training

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Radioactive Waste Generator Training

• Duke University Health System
• Occupational and Environmental Safety Office
• Environmental Programs Division
• www.safety.duke.edu

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Setting up your lab...

• You lab may already be setup as a generator. If
  not, when you call, the following information
  will be needed to assign your lab a Generator ID
  number
• Authorized users name
• Lab contacts name
• Building and room number
• Box number
• Telephone number
• Department
• Email address

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Packet of materials waste barrels

• Once we have that information, you will receive
  a packet of materials that includes,
• The radioactive waste policy
• Radioactive waste disposal forms
• Bar code labels (green, yellow, blue)
• An example form

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An example form
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Barrel Sizes
Small blue
Large blue
Animal carcass
Pail
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Segregating radioactive waste

• By half-life and by physical form
• Half-life categories are
• lt 30 days green label (example P-32)
• 30-90 days yellow label (example S-35)
• gt 90 days blue label (example C-14)

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Segregating radioactive waste

• Physical form categories
• dry solids
• animal carcasses
• scintillation vials
• use non hazardous liquid if possible
• liquid waste
• - aqueous based
• water as only solvent
• pH must be between 5 and 9

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Segregating radioactive waste

• - mixed liquid waste
• Contains ethanol, methanol, chloroform, and other
  non-aqueous based liquid
• Environmental Programs written approval is
  required before generating this waste!
• YOU NEED A SEPARATE BARREL FOR EACH PHYSICAL
  FORM!

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Radioactive waste packaging

• Barcoding your waste
• place a barcode on a bag of waste
• then place the matching barcode on the
  disposal form
• fill out the formyour initials, date, ½
  life category, nuclide, activity and any comments

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Special provisions

• NO SHARPS IN THE WASTE BARRELS!
• sharps must go into a sharps container
• sharps include but are not limited to, needles,
  razor blades and broken glass
• needles that are capped are not acceptable in the
  dry waste barrel

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• NO LEAD PIGS IN THE WASTE BARRELS!

• Lead pigs must be recycled

• .20/lb. with Environmental Programs by filling
  out an IR form and calling the rad waste pickup
  line
• Or you can pay to ship the lead pigs back to the
  company you got them from
• contaminated lead must be cleaned prior to
  recycling it

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• DO NOT USE BIOHAZARD BAGS TO SEGREGATE YOUR WASTE!

This includes dry, liquid and scintillation vial
waste barrels
Clear, plastic, tear resistant bags are
recommended
Biohazard bags are allowed in carcass waste
barrels
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Picking up the waste

• Requesting a pickup
• call the rad waste pickup line at 684-3210
• leave your name, phone number, authorized users
  name, building and room number, type of waste and
  barrel size you want picked up

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Picking up the waste

• The pickup
• with few exceptions takes place within 24 hours
• we will bring replacement barrels of the size you
  requested
• waste disposal forms must be signed
• NONCONFORMING WASTES WILL NOT BE PICKED UP!

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Example of a nonconforming wastebarrel

• Environmental Programs must be able to close the
  barrel for us to remove the waste from the lab.
  If the waste barrel is too full, let us know when
  you call for a pickupwell bring an extra barrel.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BARREL WE WILL NOT PICK
UP!
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Questions/Comments

• Contact Chris Trunzo
• phone [phone]
• email trunz001_at_mc.duke.edu
• www.safety.duke.edu