Conditioning and storage of spent sealed radium sources

In Poland sealed radioactive sources (SRS) are extensively used in medicine and in industry. There are mainly Co-60, Cs-137, lr-192 and also historical sources contain in Ra-226. The Radioactive Waste Management Department (ZDUOP) of the Institute of Atomic Energy at Swierk is the only organization licensed for the management, storage and disposal of radioactive waste in Poland. ZDUOP deals with all radioactive waste in the country. Storage and disposal of SRS is one of the most important part of its activity. Every year ZDUOP collects about 1000 spent SRS which total activity is near 600 GBq. Spent Ra-226 sources are a special case and therefore are required suitable procedures. Due to their production according to earlier standards and their undesirable characteristics, leakage of these sources is highly possible and practically observed. For this reason conditioning of radium sources needs strict requirements and quality assurance procedure to guarantee their safe storage for an extended period of time (e.g. 40-70 years). The National Radioactive Waste Repository is superficial type repository and considered as temporary storage site for long-lived waste. A storage facility for spent SRS has been properly prepared and licensed by the regulatory body. This facility consist of several concrete chambers which floor is lined stainless steel. The existing regulatory framework for sealed radioactive sources entered into force with issue of the Atomic Law in 1986