Louisiana State University
Radiation Safety Office
Module 7
RADIOACTIVE WASTE HANDLING,
STORAGE AND DISPOSAL
1
Storage of Radioactive Waste
• Store waste in only approved bags and containers.
• Bags (item #12788 or 11237), Boxes (item #17775) and Carboys
(item# 65863W) are available from Lab Safety Supply
(www.labsafety.com)
• Do NOT use anything that can be mistaken for a
ordinary trash container
2
WASTE CONTAINERS
3
WASTE CONTAINERS
This is a
Violation.
4
Storage of Radioactive Waste
• Do not mix aqueous and organic liquid waste.
• Do not mix liquid and dry waste, i.e., do not dispose
of such items as pipette tips in liquid waste nor vials
with liquid in dry waste
• Segregate dry waste by half-lives equal to or less
than 100 days and that with half-lives greater than
100 days.
5
Storage of Radioactive Waste
• Do not mix scintillation vials that contain different
radionuclides.
• Do not use coke bottles, milk bottles, etc. for
liquid waste.
6
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
• Hold for Decay
• Dump to Sanitary Sewer
• Incineration
• Ship to Disposal Site
• Dispose of as if not radioactive
7
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
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.
8
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
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
9
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
Incineration
– Preferred method of disposing of combustibles.
– Generator pays for the disposal cost.
10
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
Ship to an approved disposal site
– Sealed sources in gauges, detectors or counters
and check sources are sent to approved disposal
site for disposal
– Generator pays for the disposal cost.
11
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
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.
12
Legal Methods of Disposing of
Radioactive Waste
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.
13
Waste Disposal Tag
•Every waste bottle, bag or box must have a
completed waste disposal tag attached, with
isotope, activity, volume, date, PI and lab #
•For dry waste, estimate volume in cubic feet
•For liquid waste, estimate volume in liters
•Waste will not be picked up without a completed
waste tag
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