Radioactive Waste Training Information

Radioactive Waste Training Information for Laboratory Personnel

February, 2002

The following key information must be imparted to all personnel generating radioactive wastes at UCHSC. All persons working in authorized radioactive materials laboratories should be aware that all radioactive wastes must be disposed via the Health and Safety Division (HSD) of the UCD Department of Research with the following very limiting exceptions:

Only aqueous solutions of H-3 may be disposed into an approved sink by laboratory personnel. The solutions must be diluted to the extent that they contain less than 10 microCuries of H-3 per liter before they are placed into the drain. You may need to consult HSD on how to assay the solutions by liquid scintillation. A number of restrictions and record-keeping requirements apply (see the UCD Radioactive Waste Disposal Procedures Manual). In most cases, it is more convenient for you to collect all H-3 aqueous waste in an HSD issued container for HSD pickup.

Only trace quantity solutions, which are extremely dilute, and minimally contaminated objects may be acceptable for disposal as non-radioactive if they meet the specific quantitative limits set forth in the UCD Radioactive Waste Disposal Procedures Manual, as documented by a proper assay measurement performed by the disposing laboratory. These limits have purposely been set very low by the UCD Committee on Ionizing Radiation - for example, the limit for aqueous liquid containing P-32 is 44 Disintegrations Per Minute (DPM) per milliliter of liquid. Typically, you will need to consult HSD since this assay may be close to your detection limits of the counter background rate.

Only an approved and registered short-lived radionuclides may be held for in-situ decay in the laboratory if the decay-in-storage program meets all regulatory requirements for labeling, logging, surveying, and proper disposal of decayed wastes. In-situ decay is an involved procedure for the laboratory to conduct, and hence, is usually easier to work with HSD to have all wastes picked up. If necessary, as may be the case for mixed wastes with no other alternative treatment or disposal, please contact HSD at x55895 or x55894 for information about in-situ decay-in-storage programs.

Classifying/segregating and Packaging Radioactive Waste

All radioactive wastes must be segregated into one of the following classifications and packaged accordingly as described below:

Dry lab trash includes paper, plastic, glass, and metals other than lead or the other excluded metals listed below.

Dry lab trash must not contain:

free-standing liquids, wet absorbent materials, or wet gels. Containers, regardless of size, must have been emptied of liquids to the maximum practical extent. Organic solvents must not be present in any amount whatsoever. Wet absorbent materials and gels must be dried in a certified fume hood unless potentially volatile radioactive materials are involved, in which case HSD should be contacted at x55895 for advice.

regulated metals such as barium, chromium, lead, mercury, or silver

empty scintillation vials regardless of whether the vials were ever used or not

biological materials or infectious materials (see below)

sharps, such as blades or needles. (Glass with sharp edges may be included if it has not been in contact with human blood or serum or other infectious material, but must be packaged in a plastic container to avoid injury to HSD personnel.)

Dry lab trash must be packaged in special clear, stenciled polyethylene liners that are available from HSD. A secondary outer container, prominently marked on all sides with the yellow-and-magenta "Caution: Radioactive Materials" wording and trifoil symbol, must be used for all storage in laboratories. Bright yellow containers of this type are prepared and offered for sale at minimal prices by HSD, in 5-gal and 20-gal sizes, and are strongly recommended.

Laboratory personnel must segregate radionuclides with half lives less than 90 days from those with longer half lives, for economic reasons, whenever practical. Radionuclides with half lives less than 90 days include P-32, P-33, Cr-51, I-125, and S-35.

Aqueous liquids must not contain any organic solvents or infectious materials. In the case of benzene, chloroform, and pyridine, even ppm concentrations require classification as organic liquids. Aqueous liquids should be accumulated in the 1.5-gal polyethylene containers provided by HSD or in sturdy, tightly-closed containers that meet the specifications in the UCD Radioactive Waste Disposal Procedures Manual. Each container should be marked and designated for one or more specific radionuclides.

Organic liquids must be accumulated in sturdy, chemically-compatible, tightly-closed containers with orange label ("Mixed Chemical/Radioactive Waste") affixed when liquid is first added to the container. HSD should be consulted before any new type of radiocontaminated organic liquid is generated (be sure to call x55895 or x57962 if you are not sure HSD has been consulted).

Non-hazardous scintillation vials include vials containing non-hazardous cocktails and no hazardous chemicals (see below listing for Hazardous scintillation vials). Vials should be tightly capped and stored upright in a tray or other container that keeps them upright. HSD recycles such trays for use by laboratories.

Hazardous scintillation vials include those containing hazardous (flash point less than 140(F) cocktails, other organic solvents, or regulated metals such as barium, chromium, lead, silver, or mercury. The use of hazardous cocktails, especially with plastic scintillation vials, is strongly discouraged. Hazardous scintillation vials should be packaged the same as non-hazardous ones, but special labels (orange labels entitled "Mixed Chemical/Radioactive Waste: Flammable/Toxic Scintillation Vial Waste") are required on each tray or other container when vials are first added to the container. Mixed waste labels are available free of charge from HSD.

Animal carcasses or tissue is a classification that applies to any substantial amount of tissue, including blood. Animal carcasses/tissue should be kept frozen in minimal and easily-removed packaging, e.g., multiple small carcasses together in a plastic bag, with any liquid blood in absorbent or in disposable bottles; or should be placed directly into lime and absorbent in a drum that HSD will prepare for this purpose. Researchers generating such wastes are strongly encouraged to contact HSD at x57962 to make prior arrangements for packaging these wastes.

Biological non-carcass wastes is a classification that applies to any biological material that does not qualify as "animal carcasses or tissue," including:

animal bedding

biologically contaminated sharps in approved sharps containers

tubing, culture vessels of various types, and all other liquids and solid materials contaminated with small amounts of biological materials.

Biological non-carcass solids should be packaged in the same manner as animal carcasses or tissue. The category of biological non-carcass wastes includes all radioactive waste materials that were ever previously classifiable as infectious before they were disinfected, no matter how clean and dry these materials may appear to be after the process of disinfecting them is completed.

Biological non-carcass liquids (note that blood is classified as "animal tissue," not "biological non-carcass"), apart from their classification, are packaged the same as aqueous liquid wastes.

Unused stock quantities of radiolabelled materials applies to vials containing unused radioactive materials as supplied by vendors. These materials may be placed into any sturdy outer container, with appropriate shielding if indicated, for pickup by HSD. Contact HSD at x55895 for further information. Unused stock materials should not be placed unnecessarily into aqueous wastes, and should never be placed into, or associated with, scintillation vial wastes.

Lead "pigs" and shielding will be picked up as is, if they are not contaminated. If they are contaminated, HSD will need to assist in making a determination of how to handle them.

Special (Infectious or Chemically Hazardous) Radioactive Wastes

Infectious radioactive wastes include all wastes that have ever been in contact with

human blood

human serum

other infectious human bodily fluids

human pathogens,

and are also radioactive.

Cell culture lines are considered infectious unless they have been specifically demonstrated to be free of infectious potential.

Infectious radioactive wastes must be disinfected by appropriate methods and classified as biological non-carcass wastes.

liquids are typically disinfected by the addition of appropriate amounts/strengths of virex solution or phenolic disinfectants

solid materials, including absorptive materials, are typically treated by immersion for appropriate periods of time in the same disinfectants, followed by pouring out or decanting off the disinfectant liquid into a liquid waste container

autoclaving may be feasible as a means of disinfection, but HSD should be contacted at x55895 for advice on the radiological hygiene implications for any specific case.

Further specific guidance is available from the Biosafety Officer at x40235.

Chemically hazardous radioactive wastes (often called "mixed wastes") include all wastes whose chemical attributes alone would classify them as a "hazardous waste" under EPA (RCRA) regulations, and which are also radioactive.

The most common wastes in this category are radiocontaminated organic solvent wastes. In general, any liquid or solid wastes that contain any amount of any organic solvent should be considered to fall in this category, until otherwise classified by HSD.

Wastes that contain any amount of the regulated metals (barium, chromium, lead, mercury, or silver) also fall into this category

liquid wastes with pH values less than 2.5 or greater than 12.

Mixed wastes require a written request for disposal filed with HSD on the form entitled "Radioactive Mixed Chemical Waste Disposal Form" and must be labeled with the orange label entitled "Mixed Chemical/Radioactive Waste" as soon as waste is first placed into the container. Every effort should be made to minimize the volume and complexity of mixed wastes, as they typically create uniquely difficult disposal problems. HSD should be contacted at x55895 whenever this type of waste will be generated, for advice on safe storage in the satellite accumulation area.

Requesting a Pickup of Radioactive Waste:

HSD picks up radioactive waste at the request of laboratory personnel. Pickups are typically available within a few working days of request, but service is not guaranteed in less than ten working days; hence, some prior planning is necessary. Researchers should note that concerns about radiation levels from wastes are not considered to constitute an emergency in regard to removal of wastes by HSD, because authorized Principal Investigators are required by the Committee on Ionizing Radiation to have adequate shielding and distance from waste storage locations to occupied areas, to meet all applicable radiation dose limits for radiation workers and the general public, for the maximum amounts of specified radionuclides that could be accumulated as wastes in conformance with the PI's on-hand possession limits for those radionuclides. Questions about safe storage should be directed to HSD at x55895 or x57962.

To make a request for radioactive waste pickup, call x55892 or complete the online waste pickup form at http://www.uchsc.edu/safety/Forms/Waste Pick-up Form.htm. When calling, please be prepared to specify:

the PI's name(s)

the room number where the waste is located

the types and numbers of waste containers for pickup

your name and telephone extension(s).

Required Documentation for Radioactive Waste Disposal

Each item of radioactive waste must be accompanied by at least one pre-coded radioactive waste ticket, as described in the document entitled "Using the 1996 Streamlined HSD Radioactive Waste Accounting System." No other radioactive materials accounting documentation is submitted to HSD for disposal, although users are expected to perform additional record-keeping.

In addition, on every occasion when any PI's wastes are picked up, the Committee on Ionizing Radiation has required HSD to review a copy of the PI's latest contamination surveys for every laboratory area authorized for use or storage of radioactive materials by that PI.

Rev. 2/2002, rs