Re: LSV Disposal Question

[Roberta Clarke <rclarke@whoi.edu>]

Russ,



I previously used  Ultima Gold AB with H-3, Ni-63, and  Tc-99.  We still 

had to dispose of them through a rad waste broker, even though the 

activities were low enough to be drain dumped.  (PR issues).  We also 

used Insta Gel Plus for C-14 and Pu-241, this is not a friendly 

cocktail.  It cost a little more to get rid of the Insta Gel Plus as 

opposed to the Ultima Gold,  however the real benefit of using ultima 

Gold is that employees are not handling potentially hazardous materials. 

 The cocktails with the higher flash points typically contain toluene, 

xylene, or other nasty solvents, not so with the linear alkane based  

cocktails.  You are right in that there is not a lot of cost benefit 

associated with disposal of  environmentally friendly cocktails, unless 

you drain dispose, and that is becoming more infrequent.



Russ Johnson wrote:



>I have a waste disposal question for the community. At our university,

>along with the more established toluene-xylene scintillation fluids, we

>have some new research protocols which utilize "non-hazardous" (relative

>term) LSV fluids, specifically Packard/Perkin Elmer Ultima Gold AB, and

>the isotope of interest is uranium (as dU).

>

>I thought I would ask anyone out there doing alpha counting utilizing

>this type of fluid how they dispose of this? Seems like a simple

>question, but not necessarily. I asked the manufacturer techs and they

>weren't sure. I asked a couple of other RSOs at other universities, but

>they don't use the stuff. Flash point is low enough for treatment by

>incineration, but that's only allowed for C-14/H-3 which this isn't.

>Drain disposal is out of the question, even though the level of activity

>is low enough to permit it. Althought its somewhat corrosive, its not

>regulated by RCRA. We are encouraging our researchers to switch to a

>more environmentally-friendly and cheaper (in the long run)

>scintillation fluid, but not if we don't have a disposal program for it!

>So, I would appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks.

>-Russ Johnson

> Radiation and Training Specialist

>

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-- 

Roberta Clarke

Laboratory Safety Officer

EH&S Office

L'Hirondelle MS#48

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Phone:  508 289-2242 Fax: 508 457-2015







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