Radioactive Sealed Source Disposal, Nuclear Gauge Disposal,
Source Recycling, and Source De-Housing / Dismantling

Some industrial devices such as: scintillation counting machines, thickness gauges, geiger counters, and many other types of equipment used in the medical and industrial fields utilize radioactive sources as a part of their day to day operation. ADCO Services is the special waste disposal company that can assist you with your disposal efforts in having one of our licensed vendors have radioactive items such as the ones mentioned above; leak tested, dismantled, shipped from your facility, and transported to a licensed disposal facility where your sources will be signed in and received by a radioactive waste licensee, and be prepared for final disposal. 

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Regulatory agencies such as the NRC have strict standards to meet when disposing of your radioactive sealed sources. Just knowing what exactly needs to be completed and who needs to be notified prior to even shipping this special radioactive waste stream (radioactive sources / nuclear gauges) can be a grueling task. Which forms do I need to complete, do I have to get an export permit in my state, are my leak tests valid, is my technician I have removing my source from my unit authorized to even do this work in my state, does my waste meet special shipping guideline requirements, etc? These are all common questions generators of nuclear gauges and sealed source waste find themselves asking when it comes time to figure out how to dispose of their radioactive sources. ADCO Services is able to answer your questions and help make the often difficult task of disposing of your radioactive sources an easy task to complete.

 

ADCO Services holds the proper permits to transport your radioactive sources to a radioactive licensee where the sources will be signed over to the new licensee and disposed of properly. 

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ADCO's Sealed Source Disposal Services Commonly Offered:

• Disassembly of nuclear gauges or nuclear devices from mountings

• Emergency response for damaged / leaking gauges, sources, or devices

• On-site radioactive source removals / source de-housing

• Packaging and labeling of gauges or device containers to meet U.S.D.O.T. requirements

• Packaging and labeling of radioactive gauges or device containers to meet U.S.D.O.T. requirements

• Radiation surveys, project planning, and scheduling

• Paperwork preparation of NRC 540 forms and/or straight bills of lading

• Providing shielding, encapsulation, or packing into a cask, as well as special handling procedures as needed

• Radioactive material transfer records or RAD-waste disposal records

• Wipe testing / Leak testing, analysis, and certifications

 

Types of Radioactive Sources Commonly Disposed Of By ADCO:

• Alpha Sources

• Amersham Sources

• Beta Sources

• Brachytherapy Needles (Seeds) (Tubes)

• Calibration Sources

• Capsule Sources

• Calibration Standards

• Cardinal Health Sources

• Check Sources

• Densometers

• Dew Pointers

• Disk Sources

• Dose Calibrator Sources (E-Vial Source)

• Eckert and Ziegler Sources

• Electron Capture Detector (ECD Detector) Sources

• Epoxy Sources

• E-Vial Sources

• Eye Applicators

• Filtec Guages

• Flood Sources / Sheet Sources

• Foil Sources

• Gamma Counters

• Gamma Sources

• Generators

• H-3 Tritium Static Guns

• Industrial Sized Gauges

• Line Sources

• Liquid Scintillation Standards

• Nuclear Density Gauges

• Ohmart Gauges

• Paddle Sources

• Phantom Sources

• Rod Sources

• Scintillation Counters (entire unit)

• Seed Sources

• Siemens Sources

• Thickness Gauges

• Troxler Gauges

• Tube Sources

• 3M

 

Radioactive Source Isotopes Typically Disposed Of By ADCO:

• Americium 241 (Am-241)

• Am241/Be

• Barium 133 (Ba-133)

• Cesium 137 (Cs-137)

• Cobalt 57 and Cobalt 60 (Co-57, Co-60)

• Germanium 68 (Ge-68)

• Iodine 125 and Iodine 131 (I-125, I-131)

• Krypton 85 (Kr-85)

• Lead (Pb-210)

• Nickel 63 (Ni-63)

• Phosphorus 32 and 33 (P-32, P-33)

• Promethium 147 (Pm-147)

• Radium 226 (Ra-226)

• Sulfur 35 (S-35)

• Strontium 90 (Sr-90)

• Sodium 22 (Na-22)

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Typical Radioisotopes ADCO Services Disposes Of Common Uses:

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Americum-241 (Am-241)

Used in many smoke detectors for homes and businesses, also can be used in gauges that measure levels of toxic lead in dried paint samples, found in thickness gauges to ensure uniform thickness in rolling processes like steel and paper production, and to help determine where oil wells should be drilled.

 

Cadmium-109 (Cd-109)

Found in analyzers that analyze metal alloys for checking stock and scrap sorting.

 

Californium-252 (Cf-252)

Used to inspect airline luggage for hidden explosives, to gauge moisture content of soil in the road construction and building industries, and to measure the moisture of materials stored in soils.

 

Carbon-14 (C-14)

Used as an important research tool. In pharmaceutical research it is used as a tracer to ensure that potential drugs are metabolized without forming harmful by-products. It is also used in biological research, agriculture, pollution control, and archeology.

 

Cesium-137 (Cs-137)

Used to treat cancerous tumors, to measure correct patient dosages of radioactive pharmaceuticals, to measure and control the liquid flow in oil pipelines, to tell researchers whether oil wells are plugged by sand, and to ensure the right fill level for packages of food, drugs, and other products. (The products in these packages do not become radioactive.)

 

Cobalt-60 (Co-60)

Used to sterilize surgical instruments, and to improve the safety and reliability of industrial fuel oil burners. Used in cancer treatment, food irradiation, gauges, and radiography.

 

Curium-244 (Cm-244)

Used in mining to analyze material excavated from pits and slurries from drilling operations.

 

Iridium-192 (Ir-192)

Used to test the integrity of pipeline welds, boilers and aircraft parts and in brachytherapy/tumor irradiation.

 

Iron-55 (Fe-55)

Used to analyze electroplating solutions and to detect the presence of Sulphur in the air. Used in metabolism research.

 

Krypton-85 (Kr-85)

Used in indicator lights in appliances such as clothes washers and dryers, stereos, and coffee makers; used to gauge the thickness of thin plastics and sheet metal, rubber, textiles and paper, and to measure dust and pollutant levels.

 

Nickel-63 (Ni-63)

Used to detect explosives, and in voltage regulators and current surge protectors in electronic devices, and in electron capture detectors for gas chromatographs.

 

Plutonium-238 (Pu-238)

Has powered more than 20 NASA spacecraft since 1972.

 

Polonium-210 (Po-210)

Reduces the static charge in production of photographic film and other materials.

 

Promethium-147 (Pm-147)

Used in electric blanket thermostats, and to gauge thickness of thin plastics, thin sheet metal, rubber, textile and paper.

 

Radium-226 (Ra-226)

Makes lighting rods more effective. Used in smoke detectors.

 

Sodium-22 (Na-22)

Used to locate leaks in industrial pipelines, and in oil well studies.

 

Sulphur-35 (S-35)

Used in survey meters by schools, the military and emergency management authorities. Also used in cigarette manufacturing sensors and medical treatment.

 

Thallium-204 (Tl-204)

Measures the dust and pollutant levels on filter paper, and gauges the thickness of plastics, sheet metal, rubber, textiles, and paper.

 

Thoriated Tungsten (Th-232)

Used in electric arc welding rods in construction, aircraft, petrochemical and food processing equipment industries. These produce easier starting, greater arc stability, and less metal contamination.

 

Thorium-230 (Th-230)

Helps fluorescent lights last longer.

 

Thorium-232 (Th-232)

Provides coloring and fluorescence in colored glazes and glassware.

 

Tritium (H-3)

Used in self-luminous aircraft and commercial exit signs, luminous dials, gauges, wrist watches to produce luminous paint, and for geological prospecting and hydrology.

 

Uranium-235 (U-235)

Fuel for nuclear power plants and naval nuclear propulsion systems,

and used to produce fluorescent glassware, a variety of colored glazes, and wall tiles.