Radioactive Waste

Radioactive waste must be segregated by physical form and isotope and accumulated in containers provided by EHS.  Each Principal Investigator must ensure that satisfactory waste disposal methods exists and the proper receptacles are in place prior to the procurement of any radioactive material.

Practice ALARA – Minimize Waste, Use Appropriate Shielding, Keep Your Distance!

Waste Segregation

Each waste type (solid, liquid, carcasses, and scintillation fluid) must have its own container. Each container is denoted by color for short or long life-half material.

Any waste should be segregated by radionuclide into the following groupings:

• Isotopes with a Half Life less than 100 days:³⁵S, ¹³¹I, ⁸⁶Rb, ³³P, ⁵¹Cr, ¹²⁵I, ³²P
• Isotopes with a Half Life greater than 100 days: ¹⁴C, ³H, ⁴⁵Ca, ⁶⁰Co

All biological waste should be double bagged in thick mil opaque bags with absorbent and sealed with tape or tie wrap.  Note: Animal carcasses should be stored in freezers until disposal.

Sharps should be placed in approved sharps containers prior to disposal.

Sharps Precautions

Items are generally considered “sharps” if the item was designed to cut or puncture skin or if the item has the potential to
penetrate skin when not properly handled. Non-contaminated sharps can pose puncture and laceration hazards. Sharps
contaminated with chemical, biological, and radioactive hazards pose additional exposure and disposal concerns. General
guidance for the safe handling of sharps is provided here.

Injury response

• For major injuries (item lodged in skin or eye, profuse bleeding, etc.) dial 911 and seek immediate care from Authorized Medical Providers.
• For minor injuries with potentially contaminated sharps, see “Non-clean” Sharp Objects Injuries including Needlesticks.
• For other minor injuries notify your supervisor immediately and follow the Accident Report Form Flow Chart.

Sharps precautions

• Identify and reduce sharps in the workplace. Determine whether or not an alternative is available. One example is replacing the use of a glass item with plastic.
• Consider safer sharps devices for items that are designed to cut or puncture skin such as needles and scalpels. The University of Virginia International Health Care Worker Safety Center has an extensive listing of safety devices and manufacturers.
• Be properly trained by senior personnel on new techniques and equipment in a controlled setting before employing these in a procedure involving chemical, biological, radioactive hazards. Also, refer to the Biosafety Manual and the Radiation Safety Manual for further guidance on safe handling of contaminated sharps.
• Do not leave sharp devices out any longer than necessary. For reusable sharps devices (i.e., knives, scissors), have a storage container that will enclose the sharp end (i.e., a bucket or enclosed tray) readily available at the point of use. Confirming that sharps are not present will ensure that no injuries occur.
• Never recap, bend, shear, break, or remove a needle from a disposable syringe, or otherwise manipulate a needle by hand before disposal. This avoids the generation of aerosols and also eliminates unnecessary handling that could cause sharps injury.
• Do not handle broken glassware directly. Instead, use a brush and dustpan, tongs, or forceps to remove broken glassware. Substitute plasticware for glassware whenever possible.
• Transport non-disposable sharps in a hard walled container to a processing area for decontamination.

Safely dispose of sharps:

• For disposable sharps, have a puncture-resistant container designed for sharps disposal readily available, preferably within arm’s reach for disposal of sharps immediately after use if your procedures permit you to do so.
• Non-contaminated sharps may be disposed of in broken glass waste boxes lined with a plastic bag (including empty glass chemical bottles since they may break during transportation).
• For further information about sharps contaminated with:
  • human blood or other potentially infectious material, refer to the EHS website for biohazard waste.
  • radioactive materials, refer to the EHS website for the Radiation Safety Manual.
  • chemicals, submit material for characterization in EHSA.

Downloadable pdf

Container Management

Radioactive waste containers must be posted with “Caution Radioactive Material” label.  Containers should be stored near the point of generation to minimize spillage probability during transfer.

Containers should be properly shielded while storing waste to minimize personnel exposure below 2 mR/hour.  Containers should not be stored in an unrestricted area and should be closed when not in use.

Disposal

A completed radioactive waste disposal tag must be attached to each waste container.  A blank tag is provided with each new container delivered to the lab.

An online waste pick up request must be submitted through EHSA. Please note that if the container does not have a completed waste disposal tag, the waste will not be picked up.

A request for replacement containers can be made at the same time a waste pick request is submitted.

NCSU Surplus Guidelines (pdf)

Some equipment and material may not be appropriate for resale due to the presence of
hazardous materials, characteristics, or regulatory constraints. It is the responsibility
of the equipment owner to ensure that all oils, coolants, and other hazardous materials
have been removed prior to submitting the item for disposition through surplus.
Items that may be contaminated by chemical, biological, or radioactive material must
be cleaned and inspected prior to submission to surplus.

Note: Lead pigs, sheets, and etc. should be submitted for pick up and recycling using the online EHSA system.