To dispose of radioactive waste, contact the Radiation Safety Officer or designee. The RSO will set an appointment with the radioactive waste generator to have the waste removed from the laboratory.
The radioactive waste generator must provide the RSO or designee with the following information at the time of pickup:
- type of waste (radionuclide and state - solid or liquid)
- amount of waste
- activity of waste
- location of waste
- contact name/phone number of radioactive waste generator
- Radioactive Waste Disposal Log
please complete prior to pickup - Sewer calculation tool
- Radioactive Waste Sink Disposal Log
please retain for your records.
No Mixed Waste!
University of New Hampshire policy states that users of radioactive material must not generate mixed waste as a result of laboratory practices. Mixed waste is defined as long lived (greater than 90 day half- life) radioisotopes mixed with RCRA defined hazardous waste. The Radiation Safety Committee will work with you on alternate radioactive tehniques (contact the Radiation Safety Officer at unh.rso@unh.edu or 2-4041).
Why?
- Mixed waste is extremely expensive to dispose of and UNH does not have a budget for mixed waste.
- The Radiation Safety Committee has voted to ban mixed waste.
- The use of long lived isotopes is old school science. There are more modern techniques using decayable (shorter than 90 day half-life) radioisotopes such as S-35.
- Mixed waste is stored permanently and therefore not good for the environment.
- Mixed waste may make the university liable financially in the future for further disposal methods.
Exceptions
An exception to the production of mixed waste includes liquid scintillation fluids or vials containing H-3 or C-14. These vials can legally be shipped to a contracted waste disposal vendor for incineration.
Note: Short lived (shorter than 90 day half-life) radioisotopes can be mixed with hazardous chemicals provided that the waste is decayed in the lab for 10 half-lives. After 10 half -lives contact the Radiation Safety Officer to verify the radiation has indeed decayed and to deface any “caution radioactive stickers.” Then the waste may be disposed of as hazardous waste.
If you have any questions, please contact the Radiation Safety Officer at unh.rso@unh.edu.
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Radiation Safety Officer
Office: (603) 862-4041
Cell: (603) 312-2500
Email: UNH.RSO@unh.edu