Disposal of Radioactive Animals -Reply

[Paul Ward <pward@iastate.edu>]

 Peter Fear from SUNY Syracuse wrote:

> >Our radiation safety committee is wrestling with ... H3 at levels much
> higher than the 0.05 microcurie per gr...
> >Peter Fear
> >Radiation Safety Office
> >SUNY Health Science Center
> >750 E. Adams St.
> >Syracuse, NY 13210
> 
You didn't mention the size of the animals, but (depending on your other
discharges to the sanitary sewer) you might consider getting an industrial
strength garbage disposal and making a "readily dispersible" whole body
homogenase.  Hobart (the commercial dishwasher people) makes a suitable
unit for rats and other small rodents.

Before you invest a lot of time and $$ in this project, you should be aware
that the regulations concerning discharges to sanitary sewer systems may
change in the next few years.  Sen. John Glenn has the General Accounting
Office looking into the "problem" of radioactive materials in the sanitary
sewers of Ohio, and the regulations are likely to change to restrict the
discharged radioacitivity and make it more difficult to verify dispersibility.

Disclaimer:  The above information is solely my own opinion and is worth
just what you paid for it.  Since I'm currently unemployed, what my
employer thinks about it is irrelevant.

Paul Ward
pward@iastate.edu