Re: Disposal of clinical wastes containing radio-isotopes

[glandry@canberra.com]

Unless I am mistaken, the diaper is in Hong Kong, which means that any
regulatory caveats that may
apply, probably are not the caveats that you have in mind.

Just a quick thought.

Regards,
GL




William Lorenzen <LORENZEN_W@A1.TCH.Harvard.edu> on 07/11/2000 12:43:43 PM

Please respond to radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu

 To:  Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
 cc:   (bcc: Greg Landry/CI/US/PBC)
 Subject:  Re: Disposal of clinical wastes containing radio-isotopes



          My understanding is that if the diaper is under the licensees
          control then the licensee is responsible for the proper disposal
          (which is not the sanitary sewer for a diaper)
          If you allow someone to walk out of your institution with
          "licensed" radioactive material all the regulatory caveats apply.
          Only patient excreta disposed of via sanitary sewer is exempt and
          not the incidental diaper.

          Also I disagree with the statement that the waste transfer
          facilities ignore the short half-life material.  At least in this
          part of the country these facilities can not and do not
          differentiate short lived from long lived.  They only know the
          alarm went off and they have to deal with it....

          Most alarming systems (from my experience in the NE) are Na(I)
          detectors connected to a simple alarming ratemeter.

          I do agree it is not a safety issue, but a regulatory debacle.

          William A. Lorenzen, M.S.
          Radiation Safety Officer
          Children's Hospital
          Boston, Ma 02115

          lorenzen_w@a1.tch.harvard.edu

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