[ RadSafe ] More radioactive debris turning up in garbage

Fri Apr 29 17:32:41 CEST 2005

Our experience is that this issue is one of education of not only the
landfill operator, but also the local permitting authority (usually the
County) that holds the certificate of designation (solid waste permit)
for the facility.  Those CDs often have language that prohibits
radioactive materials, and do not come with exemption limits. So even
though you can explain that it is not a health risk, the operator sees
accepting the materials as a liability due to the requirements of the
permit.  We have worked sucessfully with some sites and not sucessfully
with others, but we persevere.  
Phil Egidi
CDPHE

>>> "Jim Hardeman" <Jim_Hardeman at dnr.state.ga.us> 04/29/05 07:32 AM >>>
John *

What you have described is precisely what we are doing in Georgia. Once
we have determined that we're dealing with a medical radionuclide
(principally Tc-99m, I-131 or Th-201) we direct the landfill operators
to dispose of the waste and cover it within a short period (1-2 hours).
We get a little concerned, however, when we see Tc-99m, because due to
the short half-life, we've found that the Tc-99m we see is coming
directly from the medical facility (traps in IV tubes, etc.) instead of
waste that has been "processed" through a patient ... thus it is
technicallly NOT exempt. We've advised our medical facilities that if we
continue to see this material at landfills, and if we can identify the
source (not too difficult when you're dealing with a rolloff container
in which all of the waste came from a single medical center!!!) then we
will vigorously pursue enforcement action.

I concur with earlier commenters ... even if the disposal of short-lived
medical radionuclides isn't a problem (and it isn't) the resource
requirments to make that determination ARE a problem ... particularly
with the advent of large, regional landfills in rural locations ... not
very convenient to where WE'RE located.

My take on this ... with the medical radionuclides, we're dealing with
materials that are "gone" (i.e. 10+ half lives) in say 3 months. If the
landfill is operating in such a manner that somebody is drinking
groundwater contaminated with leachate w/in 3 months, then you've got
FAR bigger problems that just having a few millicuries of a short-lived
radionuclide in the landfill.

My $0.02 worth ... 

Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4220 International Parkway, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675
Fax: (404) 362-2653
E-mail: Jim_Hardeman at dnr.state.ga.us

>>> John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com> 4/28/2005 11:58:20 >>>

That is the problem.  We have regulations that require
every actions to be taken when there are no real
risks.  Who do you know that eats trash.  Is the
transfer to ground water more hazardous than the other
stuff that is buried with it?  Why not let it decay in
the landfill as opposed to having it sit in the truck.

--- Marty.Bourquin at grace.com wrote:
> The issue really isnt whether or not the waste is
> exempted.  If it sets 
> off the montiors at the landfill it will not be
> accepted by the landfill 
> operator. Once that alarm goes off most facilities
> want nothing to do 
> with it.  They will typically just call in someone
> (regulator) to take 
> care of the problem - often by making the truck sit
> till it decays.
> 
> Education, Education Education
> 
> Marty Bourquin
> Manager EHS, RSO
> W.R. Grace
> Chattanooga, TN
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: crispy_bird at yahoo.com
> [mailto:crispy_bird at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 8:57 AM
> To: joseroze at netvision.net.il; radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] More radioactive debris
> turning up in garbage
> 
> 
> Maybe the laws need to be changed so that patient
> waste is exempted.  See
>
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/part020-2003.html
> 
> 10 CFR 20.2003(b)Excreta from individuals undergoing
> medical diagnosis or therapy with radioactive
> material
> are not subject to the limitations contained in
> paragraph (a) of this section.
> 
> --- Jose Julio Rozental <joseroze at netvision.net.il>
> wrote:
> > 
> >
>
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050426/NEWS02/504260336/1018/NEWS02
> > More radioactive debris turning up in garbage
> > By ROB RYSER
> > THE JOURNAL NEWS
> >      
> > Original publication: April 26, 2005
> > Low levels of a radioactive substance used to
> treat
> > thyroid cancer, known as iodine-131, are tripping
> > alarms at garbage collection plants in Westchester
> > County about twice as often as they did last year,
> > officials said yesterday. 
> > 
> > There have been 11 cases in 2005, compared to 10
> > cases in all of 2004, according to County
> Executive
> > Andrew Spano, who is calling on physicians to
> leave
> > better instructions with patients about throwing
> out
> > personal-care products once they go home.
> > 
> >
>
......................................................
> >   
> > 
> > Jose Julio Rozental
> > joseroze at netvision.net.il
> > Israel
> > _______________________________________________
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> 
> +++++++++++++++++++
> "Embarrassed, obscure and feeble sentences are
> generally, if not always, 
> the result of embarrassed, obscure and feeble
> thought."
> Hugh Blair, 1783
> 
> -- John
> John Jacobus, MS
> Certified Health Physicist
> e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com
> 
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+++++++++++++++++++
"Embarrassed, obscure and feeble sentences are generally, if not always,
the result of embarrassed, obscure and feeble thought."
Hugh Blair, 1783

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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