Louisiana State University Radiation Safety Office

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Louisiana State UniversityRadiation Safety Office

• RADIOACTIVE WASTE HANDLING, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL
• Module 7

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Storage of Radioactive Waste

• Store waste in only approved bags and containers.
• Bags - Lab Safety Supply (www.labsafety.com) item
  number 12788 or 11237
• Boxes - Lab Safety Supply (www.labsafety.com)
  item number 17-775
• Carboys - Lab Safety Supply (www.labsafety.com)
  item number 65863W
• Do NOT use anything that can be mistaken for a
  ordinary trash container

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WASTE CONTAINERS

• Not This
• But

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WASTE CONTAINERS

• THIS

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Storage of Radioactive Waste Cont.

• Do not mix aqueous and organic waste.
• Do not mix liquid and dry waste, i.e., do not
  dispose of such items as pipette tips in liquid
  waste.
• Segregate dry waste by that with half-lives equal
  to or less than 100 days and that with half-lives
  greater than 100 days.

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Storage of Radioactive Waste Cont.

• Do not mix scintillation vials that contain
  different radionuclides.
• Do not use coke bottles, milk bottles, etc. for
  liquid waste.

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 1) Hold for Decay
• 2) Dump to Sanitary Sewer
• 3) Incineration
• 4) Ship to Disposal Site
• 5) Dispose of as if not radioactive

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 1) Hold for Decay
• You can store waste in the laboratory if the
  half-life is no greater than 36 days.
• The Radiation Safety Office can hold waste with
  half-lives up to 100 days.

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 2) Dump to Sanitary Sewer
• Must be water soluble or a readily dispersible
  biological material in water.
• Concentration is limited by regulations - check
  with the Radiation Safety Office.
• Must obtain permission from the Radiation Safety
  Office prior to dumping - Only way to know if
  other people are dumping.

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 2) Dump to the Sanitary Sewer Cont.
• Annual Limit
• H-3 - 5 curies
• C-14 - 1 curie
• All other radionuclides combined - 1 curie

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 3) Incineration
• Generator (or the department) must pay for the
  disposal cost.
• Preferred method of disposing of combustibles.
• Cost of incineration is 15 per cubic foot
  (minimum 1 cubic foot).
• LSU doesnt have an incinerator on the main
  campus. We use one located at the LSU Dental
  School.

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 4) Ship to an approved disposal site
• Generator (or the department) must pay for the
  disposal cost.
• Cost of disposing of liquid waste is 70 per
  gallon (minimum 1 gallon).
• Cost of disposing of liquid scintillation vials
  is 35 per 100 vials (minimum 100 vials).

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 5) Dispose of as if it not Radioactive
• Scintillation Cocktail containing no more than
  0.05 microcuries per ml of H-3 or C-14 may be
  discarded as if it is not radioactive. If
  chemicals are disposed of properly, the
  radioactivity will not pose a problem.

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Legal Methods of Disposing of Radioactive Waste

• 5) Dispose of as if it not Radioactive (cont.)
• Animal Tissue containing no more than 0.05
  microcuries per ml of H-3, or C-14 may be
  discarded as if it is not radioactive. If animal
  tissue is disposed of properly, the radioactivity
  will not pose a problem.

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Waste Disposal Tag
Each bottle, bag or box must have a completed
waste disposal tag attached. For dry waste you
should estimate the number of cubic feet. See
the campus radiation safety manual for more
information.