Radiation Safety

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Waste (NORM)

Disposal of norm

The Radiation Safety Office must be contacted for the pick-up and disposal of all NORM waste products.  These include uranium (U-238 or U-nat) and thorium (Th-232 or Th-nat) products that can be purchased freely without concern for their radioactive properties, but when disposed of are considered a radioactive waste.

prepare for your NORm waste pick-up

Please have all of the following information prepared when you schedule a waste pick-up with the Radiation Safety Office that includes NORM waste::

physical form

Is the waste a solid or a liquid?

activity

What is the activity? The typical specific activities for NORM are 0.71 microcuries per gram of U-nat and 0.22 microcuries per gram of Th-nat.  In some cases, the bottle containing the NORM will list a different specific activity. Please use the specific activity listed on the bottle whenever known.  It is the responsibility of the lab to determine the activity from the initial amount of NORM used and other materials with which it has been combined.

Compound

The two most common compound of NORM used on University of Toledo campus are uranyl acetate and uranyl nitrate.  Uranyl nitrate is considered a hazardous material, as a result it is significantly more expensive to dispose of than uranyl acetate, and occasionally the lab may be responsible for a portion of those costs .  The hazardous nature of other compounds used or combined will be determined on an individual basis.

Other Chemicals present

Other hazardous chemicals may be present in the waste that will affect the cost of disposal.  Segregating NORM waste from other hazardous lab waste is one way to reduce the additional costs.   Any NORM waste that is mixed with another chemical that is considered hazardous will generate hazardous NORM waste.

When NORM waste is picked up, a full list of the names and percentages of other chemicals present is required.

EXAMPLE:

Alcohol:                               46.0%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Acetone:                              15.4%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Sodium Cacodylate:      15.4%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Glutaraldehyde:                 7.7%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Osmium Tetroxide:           7.7%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Uranyl Acetate:                   7.8%

questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the Radiation Safety Officer at Joseph.Agosti@utoledo.edu or 419-383-4301.