 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)How do I register my unused sealed sources?Unwanted sealed sources may be registered with OSRP in a number of simple ways. In order to enter your sources into our tracking database we will need specific info about the facility or site (e.g., location, licensing authority, etc.), contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number, email, etc.), and specific data about each unwanted source (e.g., manufacturer, model, serial number, isotope, activity, etc.). Registration methods include:
All unwanted sources should be registered, regardless of activity. OSRP will consider recovery on a case-by-case basis, or may attempt to assist by coordinating other recovery mechanisms. Registration also does not imply nor guarantee that the project can assist with removal/disposition of all radioactive material.What sources are recovered by the OSRP?Prior to November 2000, OSRP focus was environmental clean-up limited to recovering radioactive sealed sources that had no commercial disposal path in the U.S. Such sources were generally classified as Greater Than Class C (GTCC) Low Level Radioactive Waste as defined in 10 CFR 61.55. In practice, this meant recovery of sealed sources containing transuranic isotopes such as Am-241, Pu-238, and Pu-239 with activities greater than 0.5 mCi. These transuranic isotopes were often combined with light elements such as beryllium or lithium to generate neutrons (i.e., Am-241/Be, Pu-238/Be, Pu-239/Be, Am-241/Li and Pu-238/Li). OSRP has also collected Am-241/Be/Cs-137 and Pu-238/Li/Cs-137 combination sources, as well as a few sources containing Cm-244 and Cf-252. In November of 2003, the NNSA assumed responsibility for OSRP and the focus of the mission became removal of excess sources that posed a potential threat to public health, safety, and national security. NNSA immediately increased the scope of OSRP work to include the isotopes of concern to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These additional isotopes are Cs-137, Sr-90, Ir-192, Co-60, and Ra-226. Since 2003, OSRP has continued recovery of actinide/transuranic sources, but has also established the ability to recover and manage these additional non-actinide isotopes. So far, priority has been to concentrate on recovery of very large (over 200 Ci) Cs-137, Co-60 and Sr-90 sources. However, where excess and unwanted sources of lower activity are found at a particular location, consideration is given to the sum total of activity from a security perspective. Licensees holding excess and unwanted sources of any isotope or activity level should check with the OSRP if problems with disposition occur. If OSRP cannot recover the sources directly, the staff can often point out other options that may be helpful. As a general guideline for individual sources, the lower limits of concern are:
*All unwanted sources should be registered, regardless of activity. OSRP will consider recovery on a case-by-case basis, or may attempt to assist by coordinating other recovery mechanisms. However, registration does not imply nor guarantee that the project can assist with removal/disposition of all radioactive material.
What if my unwanted source is still in a device?Since OSRP is not authorized by DOE to perform disassembly services, the source would normally* have to be removed from the device or housing before it could be considered for possible recovery. Few licensees are authorized by their regulator (NRC or Agreement State) to perform activities such as disassembly and source removal. Therefore if the unwanted sources are still in a device, the options below should be considered:
*Please note: Removal of source(s) from the device is not necessarily required for high-activity sources such as irradiators or teletherapy devices. These are handled by OSRP and their subcontractors on a case-by-case basis. In most instances, the entire device is removed intact due to the inherent shielding it provides for the sources. Furthermore, sources should not be removed from smoke detectors.
What can I do with License Exempt Sources?Sealed sources with activities equal to or less than the values set by 10 CFR 30.71 Schedule B do not require an NRC license or agreement state equivalent. These sources have a commercial disposal pathway. The license exempt limits can be found at -- http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2010/janqtr/pdf/10cfr30.71.pdf (Schedule B). Agreement States may have their own list of exempt sources within their jurisdiction. One possible disposal location for exempt sources is the US Ecology facility in Grand View, Idaho. Facilities should use commercial waste broker services for arrangements -- http://www.crcpd.org/StateServices/CommercialServices/RadWasteBrokerServices.pdf
What is SCATR?The Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) and DOE/NNSA have created a program entitled "Source Collection and Threat Reduction" or "SCATR" to collect sources being stored and not used that could - as an aggregate - be used for malicious intent. DOE recognizes that the availability of disposal of such sources is limited and expensive; and has initiated this rare opportunity for licensees to have financial assistance in properly securing and disposing of these sources through this CRCPD program. The SCATR program is limited to sources that do not meet International Atomic Energy Agency’s Category 1 and 2 sources. Examples of sources that would be eligible for the SCATR program include medical brachytherapy sources (137Cs and 226Ra), eye applicators, low activity sources that exceed the NRC 120-day half-life limit for decay-in-storage, long half-life industrial sources and calibration sources. This program is limited to sealed sources, and does not include transuranic isotopes (transuranic sealed sources are recovered directly by OSRP). In addition, sources that have already passed through ten half-lives should not be registered for SCATR. For more information please contact CRCPD, Inc., at www.crcpd.org/StateServices/SCATR.aspx or contact Mr. Russ Meyer CHP at (512) 761-3822. For assistance with the source registration process, please contact OSRP.
Are sealed sources and special form sources the same thing?No, sealed sources and special form sources are not necessarily the same thing. However, they are related to each other: All special form sources are sealed sources, but not all sealed sources are special form. According to The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), "sealed source" simply means that radioactive material is encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the material. In addition to meeting the definition of a sealed source, "special form" sources must satisfy the following DOT conditions according to 49 CFR 173.403:
Therefore, special form sources are simply sealed sources that have been tested and the “special form” character of the source is certified. For example, an IAEA Certificate of Competent Authority issued by the cognizant agency in a country is a special form certificate showing that the sources listed on the certificate have been designed to meet specific durability testing requirements and are unlikely to release their radioactive contents even under extreme conditions. According to 49 CFR 173.476, in order to transport a radioactive source as 'special form,' the shipper is required to have on file: a current copy of the IAEA Special Form Certificate; or a complete safety analysis, including documentation of any tests, demonstrating that the item(s) meets the requirements of § 173.469. Possible sources of Special Form Certificates include: manufacturers, distributors, service companies, waste brokers, regulatory authorities, and the RAMPAC Database.
Are there different types/categories of sealed sources?Many different types of sealed sources have been manufactured containing radioisotopes that range in activity from microcuries to thousands of Curies. Much of what OSRP has recovered to date contain actinide series material, such as Pu-239, Pu-238, and Am-241 sealed sources, as well as some other actinide isotopes. Some of these sources also contained light metal such as beryllium or lithium to enhance neutron generation. Irradiation devices, such as Gammators, contain gamma-ray emitting isotopes such as Cs-137 or Co-60. Sr-90 has been used to make radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) where the energy of the beta particle emission is captured as heat, some of which is converted to electricity using thermocouples.
What are, or were, sealed sources used for? Sealed sources are still used in a wide variety of applications. Many are used for research purposes in educational institutions, in medical
applications, and in devices (e.g., thickness, level, density, or moisture gauges). Pu-238 was used in cardiac pacemakers and
Am-241 is commonly present in smoke detectors
For more examples of sealed sources, visit the IAEA Sealed Source Toolkit.
What information will OSRP request from those registering sources?Once sources have been registered with OSRP and reviewed, an email confirmation will be sent along with an information sheet
How can I see what has been registered for my facility; or how do I change the inventory?Once sources are registered, those data entries can no longer be viewed by the registrant. Access to the database is limited for security purposes. Registrants can request status updates, at any time, by contacting OSRP by phone, fax, or email. Simiarly, changes to source registrations including addition/removal of sources and updates to site contact information can be submitted via phone, fax, or email. Routine inventory verification will be requested from each site once per year, via phone or email. Note: The OSRP inventory process is not affiliated with the NRC National Source Tracking System annual reconciliation process.
We have several sources that are still in use by authorized users. Should these be registered?Unwanted sources are known as “excess sources” in our database; however, sources that are still in use may also be registered at any time by simply indicating that they are not excess. These non-excess (still in use) sources will appear in our database, but will not be considered for recovery until we are informed by the owner that they are no longer wanted. Sources can be changed from "still in use" to "excess," or vice versa, by contacting OSRP by phone, fax, or email.
What is the status of OSRP recovery efforts?In total, since 1999, OSRP has been able to recover more than 27,800 sources from more than 990 sites (including all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and several foreign countries). These recoveries have resulted in more than 821,900 Curies of radioactive material being removed and secured.
See our U.S. recoveries to date
Why do sealed sources need to be recovered?Some sealed source owners or custodians are no longer licensed by the NRC or Agreement States and/or can no longer properly maintain security of sealed sources in their possession. Other sealed sources are beyond their certified life and/or have no disposal option. Sealed source owners have been forced to store these unwanted sealed sources, in some cases for many years. The primary reason for the recovery of sealed sources is that owners have no disposal option for excess and unwanted sources. Recovery of these excess and unwanted radioactive sources is necessary because such entities do not typically have the kind of organized and secure storage necessary to prevent unauthorized access to the radioactive material. Some sources have also been recovered from DOE and DOD sites because OSRP can dispose of them, whereas the site itself may not have disposal capability.
How long has OSRP and LANL been recovering sealed sources?LANL began accepting Pu-239/Be neutron sources in 1979 and had been chemically separating Pu-239 material from sealed sources at a Laboratory facility. They had processed about 1100 by 1998, when DOE ended this practice for programmatic reasons. In about January 1999, the DOE management strategy changed to "aggressive source recovery with consolidation of sources in multifunction shielded containers for storage until disposal is made available." OSRP was created to implement the new strategy and has been actively recovering sealed sources from off-site locations since 2001.
Who tasked OSRP and LANL with sealed source recovery?DOE's Office of Environmental Management initially created OSRP at LANL and tasked it with recovery and management of all unwanted sealed sources until a disposal pathway could be developed. In October 2003, responsibility for OSRP moved to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) as part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative with a national security mission to recover all unwanted and excess sealed sources and secure them. Do you have a question we haven't answered? E-mail your question to:OSRP Group. |
