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06 September 2008

Answer to Question #2278 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Radioactive Waste Disposal — Disposal

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

Which is the appropriate method to manage the solid radioactive waste coming from the ¹³¹I therapy isolation room after the patient has been released? Normally I measure the dose rate at the surface (about 5 cm above) of the plastic bags and if the reading is less than 1 microSv/h the bag is assumed to be ordinary trash. Otherwise I keep the bag in a specially designed storage room until the reading comes to the above level. I think this is a safe limit to estimate the annual effective dose from the external radiation for a worker who is responsible for carrying these bags to the incineration facility of the hospital. Is there any method to measure the radioactivity content of the bags? Is there any other limit concerning the management of medical solid radioactive waste (radioactive waste clearance levels from EU directives)? What are the other colleagues doing when they face the same problem?

To determine the appropriate method for waste management at your facility after patient release, it is best to first check what your radioactive material license requires. Assuming you are in the United States, you could be either an Agreement State or a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensee. For NRC licensees, the regulations in 10 CFR Part 35 (Medical Use of Byproduct Material) apply (states also have similar regulations, but check with the State first). Licensed materials must be disposed of in accordance with the NRC requirement by:

Transfer to an authorized recipient,
Decay-In-Storage,
Release in effluents within the limits in 10 CFR 20.1301, or
As authorized under 10 CFR 20.2002 through 20.2005.

If your method of determining the dose rate from the solid waste has been reviewed and approved by the regulatory authority as part of your license, then you have an "approved method" for your facility. The method you use to describe the annual effective dose from the external worker who is responsible for carrying the trash out is a good supplemental method, but verification with an appropriate personnel dosimeter would also be advised.

NUREG-1556, Vol. 9, NRC's "Program-Specific Guidance About Medical Use Licensees," Section 8.27, discusses ways to minimize contamination of radioactive material. This NRC document can be downloaded from NRC's Web site. In addition, a previous question (#2149), from the Health Physics Society Web site provides additional information regarding bioassays for ¹³¹I cleanup.

Lastly, you ask about what European Directives may also be established. One Web site you could query is the National Radiological Protection Board, which is the United Kingdom's radiation protection Web site.

Cynthia Jones, PhD

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