The disposal of radionuclides is strictly regulated by federal and state laws and requires careful documentation. The release of radionuclides to the environment is permitted only as outlined in the UWM NRC license. All radionuclides which are no longer in use must be turned over to the Radiation Safety Program for disposal. Only in certain cases, when authorized by the Radiation Safety Officer, can radioactive materials be disposed of otherwise.

Current options for the disposal of low level radioactive wastes are very limited and extremely expensive. Proper waste packaging and labeling will help maximize available disposal options and minimize disposal costs. The following general rules must be followed when collecting and preparing wastes for disposal:

1. Minimize radioactive waste volumes. Keep non-radioactive wastes separate from radioactive wastes, pack waste efficiently and, whenever possible, clean or recycle reusable "wastes" such as glassware or other lab equipment.
2. Keep waste types separate. Do not mix solids, aqueous liquids, organic solvents, LSC wastes, or animal carcasses.
3. To the extent possible, don't mix radioactivity with other hazardous materials such as hazardous wastes, biohazardous materials (infectious agents), or pyrophorics. Sterilize infectious wastes.

The Authorized User or their representative should contact the Radiation Safety Program when they need to dispose of radioactive wastes. A radioactive waste disposal form (Appendix I) must be completed so the Authorized Users inventory records can be updated. The "copy" (yellow) part of the form should be forwarded to the Radiation Safety Program and the "original" (white) should be filed in the laboratory's radionuclide inventory log. All wastes must be packaged and labeled following the guidelines in this section. Improperly packaged or labeled wastes will not be accepted for disposal until they are properly packaged and appropriately labeled.

1. Waste Packaging - Solids
   1. Solid and liquid wastes are handled differently at disposal time, therefore they must be packaged differently. All vials, test tubes, etc., packaged as solid waste MUST NOT contain ANY liquid.
   2. Solid wastes should be packaged in the plastic bags provided by the Radiation Safety Program. The attached Radioactive Waste Label (Appendix I) must be filled out completely. All labels and radioactive material markings on solid waste material inside the bag MUST be REMOVED or DEFACED.
   3. Carbon-14 and Tritium wastes are processed similarly and may be packaged together. Wastes from all other isotopes MUST be packaged separately.
   4. Wastes containing lead are very difficult to dispose of. This includes lead "pigs" or containers, as well as radioactive lead ores. Additional information on the disposal of lead pigs is provided in Section 26.2.4. Call Radiation Safety for information on the disposal options for radioactive lead ores.
   5. All needles, syringes, pasteur pipette tips, sharps, blades, etc. must be placed in a sharps container. These containers are provided by the Radiation Safety Program. Once filled, the container should be sealed and disposed of as solid low-level radioactive waste. Report sharps container disposals on the appropriate line of the disposal form.
   6. Stock solution vials and other source containers should be packaged separately from other solid wastes. Report source vial disposal on the appropriate line of the disposal form.
   7. Complete a radioactive waste disposal form and contact the Radiation Safety Program to schedule a waste pick up.
2. Waste Packaging - Liquids
   1. Liquid wastes should be contained in plastic jugs or carboys furnished by the Radiation Safety Program. When requested, jugs will be delivered during waste pickups. A complete radioactive waste label and a liquid waste tag (Appendix I) MUST be attached to each jug.
   2. Aqueous wastes MUST be kept separate from organic solvent wastes.
   3. Neutralize all aqueous liquids: 5.5 < pH < 8.5.
   4. Do not fill containers above the "Full Line"; allow room for thermal expansion.
   5. Do not put solids in liquid waste containers.
   6. Complete a radioactive waste disposal form and contact the Radiation Safety Program to schedule a waste pick up.
3. Waste Packaging - Liquid Scintillation Vials
   1. Liquid scintillation wastes MUST be kept separate from other wastes. Additionally, LS wastes must be segregated by cocktail type, i.e., sewer disposable or organic hydrocarbon.
   2. Keep vials separated by size and type (e.g., plastic, glass, film)
   3. Sewer disposable LS solutions may either be put into aqueous liquid containers (see above) or be kept in their original vials and packaged in boxes for pick up.
   4. Organic hydrocarbon cocktails (e.g. toluene, xylene, pseudo-cumene based) MUST be kept separate from sewer disposable cocktails. Organic hydrocarbon cocktails must be kept in their original counting vials and packaged in boxes for pick up.
   5. Affix a completed radioactive waste label to each box. Mark the cocktail brand name and any biological or chemical hazard that might make sewer disposal inappropriate.
   6. Complete a radioactive waste disposal form and call the Radiation Safety Program to schedule a pickup.
4. Waste Packaging - Lead Pigs

   Do not put lead pigs or source vial containers lined with lead (e.g., NEN gray vial overpacks) in the regular solid waste.

   1. Meter lead pigs with an appropriate instrument to determine if they are contaminated.
   2. Package “clean” pigs in a plastic bag or box for pick up with other waste materials. Radiation Safety will process the clean pigs for recycling once they are received.
   3. If the pigs or containers are contaminated, package them in a labeled waste bag. Identify the nuclide on the label and report the item as “contaminated lead” on the disposal form.
   4. Complete disposal form as necessary and contact Radiation Safety to schedule a waste pick up.

All animals which have been injected with or administered radioactive materials MUST be disposed of through Radiation Safety at the end of the project or when sacrificed. When disposing of animal carcasses, tissues, or animal wastes which contain radioactivity, these guidelines should be followed:

1. All tissue and carcass wastes should be frozen prior to pick up.
2. Place no more than 5.0 mCi of combined total activity of C-14 and H-3 into one container (plastic bag).
3. Place no more than 1.0 mCi of any other radionuclide in one container.
4. All animal tissues and bedding wastes must be double bagged and tied closed. Disposal bags provided by Radiation Safety should be used. A completed radioactive waste label must be attached to the waste bag. Special notice should be made if biohazardous materials are included in the wastes (see Section 26.1.3).
5. Blood and urine wastes may be disposed of in the municipal sewer system. These disposals must be reported at least monthly to the Radiation Safety Program (nuclide, activity, and date) on a radioactive waste disposal form.
6. Complete a radioactive waste disposal form and contact the Radiation Safety Program to schedule a pick up.

Regulations involving the disposal of radioactive and chemical wastes are becoming increasingly restrictive. Complete information must be provided for all wastes to assure that the waste vendor will accept them. A complete radioactive waste label (Appendix I) must be attached to each solid or liquid waste container and liquid scintillation tray or box. Additionally, each liquid waste container must have a completed radioactive liquid waste tag (Appendix I) attached to it. Affix the tag securely to the container.

1. Measure or estimate the waste activity. The higher the activity, the more precise the estimate must be.
2. Waste activities should be measured whenever possible. Subsample count, correct for efficiency (cpm to dpm), and convert from specific activity (µCi/ml or µCi/g) to total activity (SA * volume).
3. Measure and report the pH of all aqueous liquids on the waste tag. List all chemicals and their percentage by volume. The total must equal 100%.
4. A completed copy of a radioactive waste disposal form (Appendix I) must accompany all waste to be picked up and disposed of through the Radiation Safety Program. Use a separate line for each bag or container. Keep the ORIGINAL. Tape the COPY to the waste box or jug.

Disposal of radionuclides by "natural decay" should be reported to the Radiation Safety Program on the bottom section of the Radioactive Waste Disposal Form. Note that we do not automatically calculate losses through decay nor do we automatically remove decayed nuclides from Authorized User inventories. This is to ensure that the amounts of radioactive materials that researchers have "on hand" are not underestimated. It is the responsibility of the Authorized User to provide updated decay information to the Radiation Safety Program. Please call if you have any questions regarding this policy or about calculating the losses through decay of a material.

Disposal of radionuclide wastes into the municipal sewerage system is highly regulated and poses a potential hazard to personnel who service the plumbing in laboratories where radioactive materials are used. In general, the only wastes allowed to "go down the drain" would be those small amounts associated with washing glassware or animal blood and urine wastes (Section 26.3). The release of additional wastes down the drain must be approved by the Radiation Safety Officer and appropriate concentration limits must not be exceeded. An accurate inventory of all radioactive materials released to the sewerage system must be maintained and disposals reported at least monthly on a Radioactive Waste Disposal Form.

Call Radiation Safety in advance of any procedure which may result in a radioactivity release to the environment. Releases of radioactivity to the atmosphere are permitted only in cases where it would be extremely difficult to contain the activity otherwise. Releases to the atmosphere, which are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the NRC, should occur only in approved fume hoods, must remain within legal effluent concentration limits and should be accurately inventoried and reported at least monthly to the Radiation Safety Program.