Reducing Radioactive Waste Generation at the NCI-Frederick

Substitution of Short-Lived Radioactive Isotopes

There are multiple benefits of substituting short-lived isotopes for long-lived isotopes. The management and disposal of short-lived radioactive waste is much easier and cheaper than disposal of long-lived radioactive waste because the majority of short-lived radioactive waste can stored at the NCI-Frederick (on-site) for decay. After the waste has decayed and is indistinguishable from background radiation levels, it is disposed of as regular medical waste either through the USAG or a licensed waste broker. Long-lived radioactive waste can not be stored on-site for decay due to the fact that it takes many hundreds of years for the waste to decay to background radiation levels and we simply do not have the space or the resources to do this. Therefore, all long-lived radioactive waste is shipped off-site for processing and disposal, greatly increasing management and disposal costs. Liability is increased as well because the waste is no longer under our control, transportation increases the chance of an accident or that the waste could be lost or stolen, and with the current waste management technologies some release of radioactivity to the environment is likely. Currently the only viable long term disposal option for processed long-lived radioactive waste is land disposal. The majority of our long-lived radioactive waste is buried in the Utah desert after processing and treatment. Due to the long-lived nature of certain radioactive isotopes, we are leaving a radioactive legacy that other generations will be forced to manage and cleanup. Please switch to short-lived isotopes whenever feasible.

The Envirocare Facility located in Clive, Utah accepts the majority of our long-lived radioactive waste