Re: Short lived waste

[Anthony Barber <a.barber@qut.edu.au>]

At 21:05 29/07/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Hi: Ant
>
>Thanks for the reply.
>
>We generate about two to four drums of short lived dry waste (Cr-51, I-125,
>P-32, S-35) each week. The waste is compacted about three to one in volume.
>The waste then decayed in separate drums by different isotope, and hold for
>10 1/2 lives.
>
>The problem we are running into is the survey before releasing as no-rad
waste.
>
>1. What's the best survey procedure after decay. How do you handle cross
>contamination? e.g if 	some long lived isotope (H-3, C-14) got into P-32
>waste drum, do you do any sampling while probe survey them?

We assume no X contam by lower energy emitters (eg we assume there is no
c14 in p32 and no h3 in c14 etc) so we don't do any sampling or
gamma/beta/alpha spectroscopy on samples. A simple external dose rate check
of waste bag to ensure limited exposure to waste handlers. If the DR is
higher than expected (eg 5 times background on a bag of h3 waste) then we
check for X contam by higher energy emitters (p32 or I125 etc)
>
>2.What is the allowable radioactive lever do you use for releasing the
>decayed waste?

Simple dose rate measure such as double background at contact with bag.
>
>3. Do you deface all radioactive signs, labels if the waste directly goes
>to incinerator?

Yes if we don't own and control the incinerator. No if we do.
>
>4. How do you handle the RCRA waste?

I haven't seen this abreviation before, what is it?


Ant
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