Radioactive Materials

Personnel monitoring devices i.e. dosimeters are issued by the Radiation Safety Office to measure an individual's exposure to radiation. Dosimeters are issued only upon the completion of a "Radiation Worker Registration" form and completing the On-Site and Initial training requirements. Additional radiation safety training provided by the Radiation Safety Office will be required as soon as possible, but no less than 4 months upon filing a "Radiation Worker Registration" form. Dosimeters are not needed by individuals working solely with low energy beta emitters (H-3, C-14, S-35, Ca-45) or when quantities used at any one time are less than one (1) millicurie. Dosimeters are required for workers who use one (1) or more millicurie at any one time of higher energy beta, a gamma emitter or x-ray device. Ring badges are also required for individuals working with one (1) millicurie or more of higher energy beta or gamma emitters. They may also be required for other uses of radioactive material or radiation producing devices. The Radiation Safety Officer may require the use of pocket dosimeters, ring badges, or other monitoring devices when particular procedures are in operation.

Monitoring Requirements

Radiation protection regulations and UK policy require that appropriate personnel monitoring equipment be provided to individuals who:

• are likely to receive an annual radiation dose in excess of 10 percent of any of the following annual dose limits:
  • total effective dose equivalent of 5 rem
  • sum of the deep dose equivalent and the committed dose equivalent to an individual organ or tissue (other than the lens of the eye) being equal to 50 rem
  • eye dose equivalent of 15 rem
  • shallow dose equivalent of 50 rem to the skin or to an extremity
  • intake of the applicable Annual Limits of Intake listed in Section 44(9), table 1, 902 KAR 100.
• are radiation workers and have declared a pregnancy or planned pregnancy.
• enter a High Radiation Area (exposure to greater than 100 millirem in any one hour).
• meet special criteria as assessed by the Radiation Safety Officer or his/her representative

BADGES FORM

It is the responsibility of all laboratory directors, faculty, and principal
investigators conducting laboratory research to ensure that the necessary
procedures are followed when setting up or exiting a laboratory. If a
new lab intends to have materials listed below please, contact the appropriate
office. For labs exiting a space, follow all applicable actions indicated
below.

• Submit an inventory of infectious agents to UK Biological Safety Officer.
• Contact the Biological Safety Office if moving a biological safety cabinet or if a cabinet is being left in the vacated lab.
  • Read and follow procedures for equipment that has biohazard labels - Surplusing Lab and Medical Equipment.
  • Contact Biosafety so an evaluation can be performed following cleaning and decontamination of the lab space.

• Clean all surfaces.
• Label all chemicals.
• Keep only chemicals that are in good quality containers.
• Remove all chemicals when vacating the laboratory space.
• Recycle unwanted usable chemicals within the department or contribute to the Free Chemical List.
• Ticket expired or unwanted chemicals for Hazardous Waste Disposal.
• Fill out the Perchloric Acid Questionnaire if perchloric acid was used in the laboratory.
• Submit a hazardous chemical inventory to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) when shipping and/or receiving chemicals during lab set or exit are planned. Some chemicals are strictly prohibited from transport.

• Utilize the E-Trax system to have hazardous waste picked up. This needs to be done a least one week before the move.
• Conduct a closeout survey for each laboratory. Contact Environmental Management at least one week before the move to schedule the survey.

• Submit Radioactive Waste Disposal tickets so radioactive waste will be removed.
• Contact Radiation Safety to schedule a laboratory survey one week before the scheduled move.

The Radiation Safety Office must order, receive and process all radioactive material shipments. This includes purchases, replacements, gifts and samples of material.

When ordering radioactive materials, completed radionuclide order forms (Appendix C) must be delivered, faxed (3-4752) or emailed to the Radiation Safety Office, 102 Animal Pathology Building, 0076, The Radiation Safety Office will place the order the same day if the request is received by 11:30 A.M. (if the approval requirements listed below are met). Orders received after 11:30 A.M. will be placed the next business day.

Complete the top portion of the order form. The following MUST be provided:
 

Radiation Safety Office Review
The Radiation Safety Office will review the order request to determine the following:

1. That the user has been authorized to use the type and quantity of radioactive material being ordered. The name of the Authorized User must be clearly indicated on the order.
2. That the radioactive material being ordered will not cause the Authorized User's inventory limits to be exceeded.
3. That the Authorized User is in full safety compliance, including responses to survey reports and training notices.
4. That the Authorized User's radionuclide inventory reports are current.

When the above criteria are met, the order will be approved and placed. If the above criteria are not met, the Authorized User will be notified by telephone to expedite acquisition of the necessary information.

Receipt and Delivery of Orders
The Radiation Safety Office is open for receipt of radioactive materials shipments 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M., Monday - Friday, University holidays excepted. Packages are processed and monitored (as required by regulations), added to the Authorized User's inventory record and delivered to the lab, normally by 2:30 P.M., on the day of receipt.

Order Form

Labeled waste containers, plastic liners and radioactive labels may be obtained by contacting the Radiation Safety Office, unless otherwise indicated below. Use the following procedures for all radioactive waste. As with all radioactive materials, contaminated waste must be secured from unauthorized removal. Always contact the Radiation Safety Office if you have any questions.

A. Solids

Solid waste containers will be provided in two primary sizes: 10 and 32 gallons. Liquids shall not be placed in solid waste containers. Relatively small volumes (a few ml's) of aqueous liquid may be transferred onto absorbent material and placed in an appropriate solid radioactive waste container. Do not use this technique for organic solvents; flammable materials must never be placed in solid waste containers. Lead must not be placed in solid waste containers; it must be picked up separately. Segregate solid waste according to radionuclide half-life, as follows:

• <=120 days
• >120 days
• transuranic elements (atomic numbers greater than 92)

For solid waste which will be held for decay (i.e., radionuclides with half-lives <=120 days), remove or deface all radiation labels before placing materials in waste containers. Additionally, solid waste shall be handled as follows.

1. All glass pipettes and broken glassware must be placed in a cardboard box, lined with a clear plastic bag. When full, secure the box with the lid closed (please use tape) and place it into a 10 or 32 gallon "general labware" waste container of the same radioisotope category. The Radiation Safety Office can provide boxes and liners.
2. General labware - Paper, plastic (including plastic pipettes), gloves, unbroken glassware, etc. must be placed in 10 or 32 gallon containers, lined with a clear plastic bag.
3. Biohazards - As a general rule, if you generate waste that is both radioactive and biohazardous, you should contact both the Biosafety Officer and the Radiation Safety Officer for proper handling procedures. Prior to pickup by the Radiation Safety Office, any solid waste contaminated with potentially infectious material must be sterilized. Do not place radioactive biohazard material in "red bags" unless the radioactivity is in exempt quantities. Red bags are only to be used for materials that are to be incinerated. Sharps (needles and syringes, scalpels, etc.) must be placed in special sharps containers and properly labeled; contact the Radiation Safety Office for handling. "Clinical waste" that contains only H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <0.05 uCi/gram is not regulated as radioactive waste and may be disposed of as medical waste.

B. Liquids

All liquid waste must be stored in labeled containers that are compatible with the waste materials. Contact the Environmental Management Office for questions about compatibility. The Radiation Safety Office can provide 5 gallon plastic carboys for aqueous waste. Liquid wastes must not contain solids; such as pipette tips, gels, or filters. Liquid waste should be segregated into the following categories.

1. Water soluble, biodegradable, non-hazardous aqueous liquids
   
   Any liquid radioactive waste released via the sanitary sewerage system must be water soluble, biodegradable, non-hazardous liquids.
   • Liquids containing less than 10 uCi may be poured down the sewer system in quantities not to exceed 10 uCi total per Authorized User per day. These disposals must be made only at designated, posted sinks or other release points. Records must be kept of all these disposals (in uCi) and the information must be provided to the Radiation Safety Office on a monthly basis. The intent of this permission is to dispose of small quantities of radioactivity contained in large volumes of fluid (>1 liter). Examples of such solutions are rinse water and buffer solutions. Radioactive liquids discharged to the sanitary sewer should be flushed with large amounts of running water. Liquid waste contaminated with plutonium or hazardous chemical constituents may not be poured down the sewer system.
   • Liquids containing greater than 10 uCi will be picked up by the Radiation Safety Office for disposal. If the radionuclides have half-lives <=120 days, the waste may be held for decay in the laboratory and then disposed of into the sanitary sewer system (as described above) after it has decayed to 10 uCi or less.
   • Liquids containing biohazards must be sterilized (by autoclave or chemical methods) prior to pick up by the Radiation Safety Office. Contact the Radiation Safety Officer for specific approval. Segregate waste according to isotope and half-life, as follows:
      
     • H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <0.05 uCi/gram of waste
     • half-life <= 120 days
     • half-life > 120 days

2. Hazardous liquids (mixed waste)
   
   Waste that is hazardous and radioactive is called mixed waste. This waste is not permitted to be poured into the sewer system (this includes biodegradable scintillation fluid). All mixed waste will be picked up and disposed of by the Environmental Management Office. The total mixed and hazardous waste in a laboratory cannot exceed 55 gallons.
   
   Mixed waste containers must comply with all the rules for radioactive waste and hazardous waste (e.g., must have a "Hazardous Waste" label, date the container is full, list of the contents, etc.). The Environmental Management Office will provide containers for scintillation vials (30 or 55 gallon drums). Labs generating very few vials may be provided 10-gallon waste receptacles. Containers for bulk liquid mixed waste are not provided. Mixed waste must be segregated into scintillation fluid waste or non-scintillation fluid waste.

   • Scintillation fluids - Segregate scintillation fluids into transuranics and non-transuranics. Normal, flammable cocktail (flash point less than 140_F) and "biodegradable" cocktail should be combined. Use of biodegradable fluid is encouraged, as it minimizes the amount of flammable liquid in the laboratory, but it still must be treated as hazardous. The fluid may be in vials or in bulk form.
     
     Vial Drums - Proper packaging for vials drums (30 or 55 gallons) is as follows:

     • place a 4-mil clear liner in the drum;
     • pour approximately 4 inches of absorbent material inside the liner;
     • place a second 4 mil clear liner inside the first liner in drum; and
     • fill inner container with vials (caps must be tightly fastened).
        

     
     The top must be kept on the drum at all times, except when filling with vials. Leave a few inches of room at the top so that the waste technician may properly close the drum. Note: Do not place absorbent or other waste in with vials. Our waste vendor requires this packaging method. If a smaller container is utilized, follow the above directions.
     
     Bulk Liquids - Bulk scintillation fluids must be placed into appropriate containers. The recommended containers are 1-gallon glass jars with screw tops. Do not mix bulk scintillation fluid with non-scintillation radioactive waste or with other hazardous fluids.
      

   • Non-scintillation fluids - The production of this waste is strongly discouraged by the Radiation Safety Office. They are extremely expensive to dispose of and, in some cases, impossible. Some examples of difficult wastes are radioactive materials mixed with any:
     • flammable liquids (e.g., xylene)
     • corrosive liquids (pH less than 2 or greater than 2.5)
     • reactives (e.g., peroxides)
     • toxics (e.g., mercury)

   
   The Radiation Safety Office and the Environmental Management Office shall be contacted prior to producing any of this type of waste to see if it is banned and, if not, to determine proper handling procedures. Laboratory procedures may have to be altered to render the materials non-hazardous (for example, by neutralizing acids or destroying peroxides).

   • Animals, Animal Excrement and Bedding
     
     Unless exempt (see below), all animal waste contaminated with radioactivity must be picked up by the Radiation Safety Office, including carcasses, excrement and bedding. Animals must be kept separate from excrement and bedding. The Authorized User should have freezer space to adequately store animals for a minimum of 90 days. If space is not available, contact the Radiation Safety Office prior to generating animal waste.
     
     Animal waste must be placed in a clear, 4 mil plastic bag prior to pick up by the Radiation Safety Office. Freeze animals in an elongated position to facilitate packing into a drum. Authorized Users are responsible for insuring that the frozen carcasses will fit into 30-gallon drums. Animal waste shall be segregated according to radionuclide half-life and concentration:
     • H-3, C-14, or I-125 in concentrations <=0.05 uCi/gram, averaged over the initial weight of the animal (This material is not regulated as radioactive waste and may be treated as normal animal waste.)
     • half-lives <=120 days or I-125 in concentrations >0.05 uCi/gram
     • half-lives >120 days or H-3 or C-14 in concentrations > 0.05 uCi/gram
     • transuranics

WASTE PICK UP

The Radiation Safety Office will provide "Radioactive Waste Receipt" forms to all laboratories. The Authorized User (or designee) must complete all applicable information. Use a separate ticket for each container. Attach carbon copies to the waste container and mail the top copy to the Radiation Safety Office. You may bring the copies to the Radiation Safety Office to avoid the time required for campus mail.

List all constituents of liquid waste, such as xylene, benzene and methanol, and the percent of each. Record a pH measurement on the aqueous portion of any waste. Describe any chemical or biological hazards present in the waste. Mixed waste must follow all procedures required for hazardous waste. The following will help in completing the waste forms:

1. Dry waste - indicate container size (in gallons) and total activity of each radionuclide.
2. Aqueous waste (generally carboys) - indicate volume (in gallons) and total activity of each radionuclide.
3. Liquid scintillation vials - indicate container size (in gallons), approximate number of vials, and total activity of each radionuclide.
4. Animal/biological - indicate approximate volume, radionuclide(s), and total activity per gram averaged over the initial weight of the animal(s).

SHARED ROOMS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE CONTAINERS

Because of safety and regulatory problems, the practice of shared waste containers is strongly discouraged. Use of shared containers requires pre-approval. The Radiation Safety Office can approve shared use upon application and review. Mixed waste (e.g., scintillation vials) will also require approval by Environmental Management. Approval will require one Authorized User to take responsibility for the container and its contents and may be terminated if the specific requirements below are not met.

• all Authorized Users must be specifically approved for use of the room
• the room must be posted and locked when unattended
• each Authorized User is responsible for conducting and documenting at least monthly surveys and wipes of the area (one designated individual may perform this function, but copies must be kept by all Authorized Users involved)
• waste records must be kept by each Authorized User
• when the container is full, a radioactive waste ticket must be filled out for each Authorized User

Radiation Safety Manual