A New Strategy in Autoradiography and the Resultant Mixed Waste
Posted on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 @ 02:58 PM
By Courtney Drayer, Healthcare Technical Services Representative
An autoradiography is an image produced from the ray emissions of a radioactive substance. Autoradiography is useful in that it helps scientists identify the location of radioisotopes within samples. Typically autoradiographs are produced on X-ray film which can be very expensive. More recently a technique for producing autoradiographs using a phosphor film has proved to be successful for many researchers. This technique works by encapsulating a sample in a Phosphor Imager on a phosphor film. The phosphor film darkens in areas where radiowaves are detected. Over time (hours to days) an image will take shape that will show the relative location and density of radioactive elements in your sample.
The resultant waste of radiotagged samples that have gone through a phosphor imager is generally classified by the EPA as a mixed Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW). This term is not defined by the amount of radioactivity in the sample but rather by their unique characteristics which prevent these commercially generated materials from fitting into another radioactive waste category such as spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste, transuranic radioactive waste, or uranium mill tailings. Mixed LLRW can be manifested on a Universal Hazardous Waste Manifest. If the waste is not mixed with other hazardous constituents it must be put on DOT 540/541 form. If you have radioactive waste at your facility, Triumvirate would be happy to help you dispose of it properly.