Radioactive Waste Disposal

[Eileen D Hotte <Eileen_D_Hotte@sbphrd.com>]

The investigators at our research facility have an agreement with Amersham to 
purchase a Scintillation Proximity Assay unit.  We also have a Microbeta for 
counting microtiter plates.  These microplates have 96 wells, each capable of 
holding about 100 microliters and are sealed with plastic sealers.  They also 
contain radioisotopes such as 125I, 3H, 32P, however the issue is the 
long-lived radioisotopes.

We have been trying to deal with the disposal of these microplates.  One of the 
representatives from Amersham suggested that we construct a home-built 
"puncher" which have nails in the 96-well format to punch holes in the bottoms 
of the microplates so the liquid can drain.  Another suggestion was to use 
pipettes to remove the liquid, which is very labor-intensive for the large 
number of plates we generate.  Another rep suggested that we add solvent to the 
microplates to partially dissolve them and turn them into a "goo" which dries 
to a solid.

Do any Radsafers have experience with this and can you  make a recommendation 
for handling the waste.  Is there a commercial source for a "microplate 
crusher"?  Please respond directly to me at : eileen_d_hotte@sbphrd.com

Thank you,

Eileen D Hotte
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
1250 S. Collegeville Rd.
Collegeville, PA 19426
610-917-7361


All opinions are my own and do not reflect my employer.