Re: Appropriate disposal strategies, Ra, Pu-Be

[Michael Kay <mikekay@teleport.com>]

At 09:06 AM 4/25/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Colleagues,
>
>I have been tasked with developing a disposal/transfer plan for our
>(unused) rad materials, specifically:
>
>	Radium, 5 mg
>	Pu-Be (neutron howitzer, NUMEC-B) 2 Ci, 32 gms
>
>Is there any possibility to transfer to an interested licensed party, or
>are these materials considered albatrosses?
>
>Disposal, costly I presume, is our second option.  Any suggestions on gov't
>agencies who can assist us?  Can anyone suggest a point of contact at the
>DOE or Los Alamos?  Are there other disposal strategies to consider?
>
I have been faced with this problem a few times. Once was some naturally
occurring materials in steel.
If you are luckey, some one will want what you have to offer. If it is
historic or of interest, such as a revigator or the old radium orange juice
sparklers, then a state or other organization may want it. But generally, it
is a pain to get rid of this stuff. I had to deal with American and US
Ecology, and the State of Washington in order to use the Hanford site. I
don't know if there is a site available to you. Since you are with an
educational institution, perhaps the State will help you. The attempts to
use DOE probably should go through Argonne or Idaho Falls. I wish you a
short time period, but I fear it may be a long effort to get rid of this
material cheaply. The cost of disposal is not too bad for NORM, but it is
very high for neutron sources.

Michael Kay, ScD, CHMM
mikekay@teleport.com