Part 340: Radioactive Waste Disposal Procedures

• 340.10 Introduction
  
• 340.20 Solid Radioactive Waste Disposal
• 340.30 Liquid Radioactive Waste Disposal
• 340.40 Gaseous Radioactive Waste Disposal
• 340.50 Biological Radioactive Waste Disposal
• 340.60 Disposal of Waste at Facilities Located Outside of Moscow

340.10 Introduction

Radioactive waste can be classified as solid, liquid, gaseous or biological. In addition to being classified as radioactive waste, some wastes may also meet the definition of an EPA hazardous waste. This type of waste is considered a "mixed waste" and must be properly disposed of according to both radiation safety and hazardous waste regulations. Each type of radioactive waste requires different procedures for handling, reporting and disposal. The Radiation Safety Committee must approve all waste disposal procedures.

The Environmental Health and Safety Office may be contacted for information on hazardous waste management and classification of hazardous waste. Records of measurements and calculations for determination of activities for solid, liquid, or gaseous waste, or aqueous waste released to sewer must be retained until termination of the authorization, at which time the records must be transferred to the radiation safety officer.

340.20 Solid Radioactive Waste Disposal

1. The definition of solid radioactive waste is any solid material that incorporates, has contacted, or is suspected to have contacted radioactive material. Liquids or biological materials cannot be disposed of with solid radioactive waste. Scintillation vials and other sample containers may be disposed of as solid radioactive waste provided they are thoroughly dried of all liquid waste (Part 340.30). Solid waste containing liquid residue will not be accepted by the radiation safety officer.
   
   NOTE: For vials or containers that previously held a hazardous liquid, the vial or container must not contain any liquid. For vials or containers that previously held a non-hazardous liquid, the vial or container may just be drained, for a minimum of one hour. For gel-like material, please contact the radiation safety officer.
   
   All solid radioactive material regardless of half-life must be collected and disposed of by Environmental Health and Safety personnel.
2. Disposal procedures:
   1. Obtain a suitable waste container lined with at least a 4 mil polyethylene liner. The radiation safety officer or designee will supply liners and waste containers.
   2. Remove or deface from any item the radiation symbol or word "radioactive" prior to disposal.
   3. Do not mix waste containing different isotopes without the approval of the radiation safety officer or designee. The radiation safety officer or designee may be contacted for assistance in determining the proper isotope separation for solid waste.
   4. When the container is full or is ready to be disposed of, complete a Radioactive Waste Disposal Form RSM-4 (one form per container), make two copies, attach one copy to the container, retain one copy for your files, and mail the original to the radiation safety officer.
   5. Update radioactive material records and inventory.
   6. If the waste is a sealed source or an instrument containing a sealed source, please contact the radiation safety officer or designee for information on disposal.
3. Sharps - Sharps are objects, such as broken glass, needles, syringes, scalpel blades, glass pipets, plastic pipet tips, etc., that could cause injury and/or puncture or cut through the waste container liner. For the safety of all people involved, never place these objects in the radioactive waste container by themselves. Always place them in a cardboard, plastic, metal or other suitable container. The sharps container can then be disposed of in the solid radioactive waste.
4. Container shielding - The lead shielding ("pigs") shipped with some radioisotopes can be recycled back to the vendor. This lead shielding must be free of contamination and must not be disposed of with the solid radioactive waste. Contact the radiation safety officer or designee for information on how to recycle the lead shielding.

340.30 Liquid Radioactive Waste Disposal

1. The definition of liquid radioactive waste is any liquid that has radioactive material suspended or incorporated into it. Liquid waste can be either aqueous or contain organic solvents. Special care must be taken when disposing of liquid radioactive wastes as many organic solvents are also considered an EPA hazardous waste.
2. Disposal procedures:
1. Liquid radioactive wastes not meeting the definition of an EPA hazardous waste may be disposed of via the sanitary sewer system if all of the following criteria are met:
1. The material is soluble, or readily dispersible, in water; and
2. The Radiation Safety Committee has approved the procedure; and
3. The material will not exceed the limits specified in Part 900 (NOTE: Individual authorization limits may be increased by the Radiation Safety Committee or radiation safety officer based on total university use and disposal. Contact the radiation safety officer for additional information.); and
4. The material is flushed with copious amounts of water.
5. A contamination survey must also be conducted of the sink and immediate area after the disposal of liquid radioactive waste.
6. A Radioactive Waste Disposal Form RSM-4 must be completed for the waste disposed of and submitted to the radiation safety officer within five working days after the sewer release occurred.
2. Liquid radioactive waste meeting the definition of an EPA hazardous waste must be collected and properly disposed of by the following procedure:
1. Obtain a glass container, not larger than one gallon. Metal or plastic containers are not allowed as waste containers.
2. Place liquid waste in the glass container. Leave enough room in the container to account for thermal expansion of the liquid. Scintillation vials containing liquid will not be accepted by the radiation safety officer. These vials must be emptied into the larger glass container. The empty vials may be cleaned and reused, or disposed of as solid waste, in which case they must be thoroughly dried in a fume hood prior to placement in a waste container.
3. When the container is full or is ready to be disposed of, complete a Radioactive Waste Disposal Form RSM-4 (one form per container), make two copies, attach one copy to the container, retain one copy for your files, and mail the original to the radiation safety officer.
3. The radiation safety officer may require the user to store high activity, short-lived radioactive liquid waste until it has decayed to an acceptable level.
4. Update radioactive material records and inventory.
5. Users are encouraged to consider using commercially available nonhazardous, "biodegradable" liquid scintillation solvents that may be disposed of via the sanitary sewer system as described in Part 340.30(B)(1).

340.40 Gaseous Radioactive Waste Disposal

1. The definition of gaseous radioactive waste is any gas, aerosol, mist or dust produced that contains a radioactive material.
2. Disposal procedures:
1. All releases of gaseous radioactive waste must:
1. Be approved by the Radiation Safety Committee; and
2. Not exceed, at the release point to the atmosphere, the unrestricted limits specified in Part 900.
2. During the release of gaseous radioactive waste, exposure to personnel may not exceed the restricted limits specified in Part 900 for restricted areas, or unrestricted limits for unrestricted areas.
3. A Radioactive Waste Disposal Form RSM-4 must be completed for the waste disposed of and submitted to the radiation safety officer within five working days after the release occurred.
4. Update radioactive material records and inventory.

340.50 Biological Radioactive Waste Disposal

1. The definition of a biological radioactive waste is any waste generated from the incorporation of a radioactive substance into a living organism or system. A living organism or system includes, but is not limited to, animals, plants, tissues, cell cultures, animal or plant parts, viral material, or bacterial organisms.
   
   If a biological waste is considered infectious, it must be treated to render the waste non-infectious prior to disposal.
2. Disposal procedures:
   1. If the waste can easily be converted into a liquid form:
   1. Homogenize the waste into a liquid form.
   2. Follow the procedures in Part 340.30 for disposing of non-hazardous liquid radioactive waste.
   2. Decay of radioactive material - If the radioisotope has a short enough half-life to allow the radioactive material to decay to safe levels, freeze the waste in a properly marked freezer and hold the waste until it has decayed to the levels specified by the radiation safety officer or designee.
   3. Carbon-14 and hydrogen-3 (tritium) animal tissue:
   1. Animal tissue containing carbon-14 or hydrogen-3 (tritium) in concentrations of 0.05 microcuries per gram or less may be disposed of as a non-radioactive biological waste.
   2. Waste disposed of in this manner may not be used as food for humans or as animal feed.
   4. Other disposal methods - To dispose of biological waste that cannot be disposed of by any of the procedures described above, please contact the radiation safety officer.
   5. Update radioactive material records and inventory.
3. Sterilization - Bacterial organisms, cultures or other biological materials must not be sterilized by a procedure that can potentially cause the radiolabeled material to be become airborne. Examples of procedures that are not allowed include autoclaving or high heat sterilization methods. The Radiation Safety Committee may approve the use of these types of sterilization methods if it can be demonstrated by the user that radioactive material cannot become airborne during the sterilization process.

340.60 Disposal of Waste at Facilities Located Outside of Moscow

Waste disposal procedures for university facilities located outside of Moscow shall be determined by the Radiation Safety Committee at the time of authorization.