Answer to Question #14117 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Disposal — Disposal

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

Many collectors of historical artifacts (watch collectors, world war military radios, etc.) have acquired (intentionally or unintentionally) self-luminous (primarily radium-226, 226Ra) items. What options are there for appropriately disposing of such items if the collector wishes to permanently get them out of the public arena (as opposed to selling or giving them to another)? Is there a straightforward and nominal cost method of doing so?

A

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has a website dedicated to radium that collectors may find useful. Additionally, you can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Regarding Radium-226 on a separate page. Specifically, you may find Section D regarding disposal useful.

It is also important to understand the regulatory framework. Relevant regulatory details are as follows, with emphasis added for ease of reference. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which was signed into law on 8 August 2005, expanded the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954 definition of byproduct material to include any discrete source of 226Ra …that are extracted or converted after extraction for use for a commercial, medical, or research activity). Section 651(e)(3) of the EPAct provides that byproduct material may only be transferred to and disposed of in a disposal facility that is adequate to protect public health and safety, and is licensed by either the NRC or a state that has entered into an agreement with the NRC under Section 274b of the AEA or at a disposal facility in accordance with any federal or state solid or hazardous waste law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act, also known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (see the NRC Federal Register notice).

So, the simple answer is that there is not a straightforward and nominal cost method for disposing what the regulations refer to as "discrete sources of radium." Pretty much any facility licensed by state or federal agencies to take these items can do so, though "collectors" are responsible for the disposal costs. The likely best first step is to contact your state's radiological protection program. The state's program may refer the collector to the NRC, if an agreement state, though state and federal agencies are bound by the same rules.

David A. King, CHP

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