Radioactive Diapersrsapers

[kevin.scott@po.state.ct.us]

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From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
Subject:   Radioactive Diapers
Date: Thursday, August 08, 1996 3:33PM


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From: stephane_jeanfrancois@Merck.Com (Stephane Jeanfrancois)
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Radioactive Diapers
X-Listserver-Version: 6.0 -- UNIX ListServer by Anastasios Kotsikonas
X-Comment:  Radiation Safety Distribution List


Response to Jeff Mason inquiry about what others are doing to minimize
radioactive diapers occurance in burial site:
_____________
I use to be an inspector for the Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada and I 

had to take several calls of alarms in a dump site or in an burial site.
Some actions were implemented then:

1. Work with your incinerator site on a procedure that may involve a decay
stage, i.e. if a radioactive waste is detected and it is from your hospital, 

call the responsible person and put it on decay if possible. Make them
realize that NaI counters are very sensitive and will pick very small amount 

of radioactive material (even those authorized for disposal by the Board).
Show them the difference between CPM and mR/h !

2. Buy yourself a NaI counter (maybe you should have a sandwich probe, NaI
combined to a  plastic scintillator) and monitor the nuclear medicine waste. 

Yes , I know, diapers may appear elsewere but this department is a minimum
and a start.

3. Inform your patients on the proper way to dispose of these "active
diapers" and the cost related for the hospital and the community.  I've read 

some pretty good pamphlets !

4. Try to delay as much as possible, all waste comming out of the hospital.
With six hours of half-life for Tc-99m, take time on your side !

Stephane JEan-Francois, phys. eng
Rad Safety
Merck Frosst Canada
..

I recommend that you develop a "in-house tagging system" so you can track 
those patients that are transferred from the nuclear medicine side of the 
house, but are not released from the hospital, so you can survey their 
patient room waste.  I've seen one hospital install a NaI system in the 
vicinty of the dumpster loading dock to try and monitor all solid waste 
leaving.

Your state program people hopefully have now developed a standard response 
to these incinerator calls, and have portable spectroscopy equipment for 
isotopic identificiation if needed.  I also recommend coordination with the 
solid waste truckers and the incinerator facilities to prevent unneeded 
negative media exposure.  The issue in my state which causes the most grief 
is an out of state shipment that must be returned.

Good Luck


Kevin Scott  M.S., R.R.P.T.
Radiation Control Physicist
CT-DEP