Luan Qafmolla, Chemist Engineer
Institute of Nuclear Physics
Tirana, Albania.

Rustem Paci , Physicist and Valentina Shpofi , Physicist
Institute of Public Health
Tirana,Albania

This paper focuses on nuclear applications that involve the use of sealed radiation sources in industry,research and medicine. It highlights common applications of sealed sources and discusses principles and techniques for safely managing them after use.

Albanian Radioactive Waste Management Programe started in the late nineties when our Institute was supported by IAEA through IAEA Project Task ALB 9/ 004 /.

The main goal of the project was Strengthening of the Infrastructure in Albania for treatment of the radioactive wastes and spent radiation sources.Especially our paper describes treatment of Co-60 source, activity 1000 Ci, of the Oncology Hospital in Tirana.

Republic of Albania is situated on the west part of Ballkan Peninsula. It is a little country with area of 28.748 square kilometres and population about 3.5 millions.The capital of the country is Tirana with population of 0.5 millions.

Albanian Radioactive Wastes Management Programme started in the late nineties when our Institute was supported by IAEA through the IAEA Project Task ALB /9/04-01. The main goal of the Project was Strengthening of the Infrastructure in Albania for treatment of radioactive wastes and spent radiation sources. The main applications of sealed radiation sources, radiochemicals and radiopharmaceuticals in Albania are as following:

1. The biggest user of radioisotopes is Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) established in 1971. It disposes of among others a 8.000 Ci, Cs-137 radiation source, a 2 GeV Van de Graff accelerator, 2 neutron generators, and a number smaller sealed radiation sources with Cs-137, Co-60, Sr-90, Ra-226, Pu-238 and Am-241 in qualities of a few mCi up to about 100 mCi. The majority of these sources are used for calibration purposes as the INP is also in charge of calibrating of radioactive sources for the whole country.
2. The medical application of radioisotopes in Albania concentrates on the Oncology Hospital and the Centre for Nuclear Medicine , both at the University Hospital Centre in Tirana . The Oncology Hospital disposes of two teletherapeutic Co-60 sources, one of them no longer operable, and of 12 sources with 15 mCi Cs-137 each for branchytherapy. Some needles Ra-226 Source has been used in medical applications in branchytherapy Division of the Oncology Institute The Centre for Nuclear Medicine uses mainly Tc-99 in diagnostics, (500 mCi every two week) I-131 in thyroid function tests (30 mCi every two weeks) and I-125 for radioimmunoassays. Cr-51, P-32 etc was used in the past but is not used any longer.
3. Sealed sources have been used in industry for well logging, thickens and level measurements; unsealed radionuclides have been used in oil fields (Zn-65) and in hydrological research (H-3). Due to the poor economic situation, the application of radioisotopes in industry has been largely reduced in recent time and no further new radioisotopes have been imported for industrial purposes within the last ten years.Some sealed radiation sources are used by Army for calibration.

Table 1. List of Radioactive Sources in Use in Albania.

Note: All activities are in mCi.

The policy in the field of applications radioactive materials and waste management is determined by the Law No. 8025 of 9.11.1995 recently approved by Albanian Parliament. It provides general rules and legal frames for nuclear activities in our country.The Law postulates the protection of life and health of people and environment should be of prime concern and should have priority before economic and other considerations.[1] The responsibility for safety operation and liability for nuclear damage is born by the operator of a nuclear facility.

A Radiation Protection Commission was established in the Ministry of Health and Environment as Regulatory Authority .This Commission is responsible for organisation and supervision of all activities related with radiation protection problems , as the licensing , inspection, personnel monitoring, medical examination, radioactive activities, which intend to cover the principal tasks in the field of radiation protection.Such activities are personal dosimetric control based on TLD, radioactive environment monitoring , calibration of radiometric equipment, radioactive waste management, registry and inventory of radioactive sealed sources and spent radiation sources etc.

Three years ago Albania was involved in IAEA, International Model Project, ALB / 9 / 004-03, Strengthening Radiation Protection and Waste Management Infrastructure. As result of the great efforts of Albanian specialists and foreign experts, a new radiological protection law based in IAEA Basic Safety Standard was approved by Parliament two years before.In accordance with mentioned law, last times was established the Radiation Protection Office as the executive organ of Radiation Protection Commission. The main duties of that office are the processes of licensing and inspection as well as the preparation of regulations and codes of practices. An urgent task is the updating of radioactive sources inventory for all country based in IAEA standard computer programme. Figure 1 gives the Radiation Protection Structure in Albania. Financing of the activities connected with management of radioactive wastes generated from the use of ionising radiation sources in research, science, medical applications, industry and so on is a responsibility of the Albanian Government [ 1 ]. Actually a fund of ( 70.000 US $ ) was allocated by our Government based on the Law No. 8025 , date 9. 11. 1995 , in order to " Establish of a Spent Sealed Sources, Hazard Materials and Radioactive Wastes Facility"

From the nuclear program outlined above, non-negligible amounts of spent radiation sources have arisen ( about 300 with total activity of 5 Ci), besides a 1000 Ci Co-60 sources of the Oncology Hospital. Table III contains a list of these sources.

Table III. List of Spent Sealed Sources ( unconditioned )

The amounts of solid and liquid wastes are relatively small and normally contain small amounts of short-lived radionuclides. They are collected and stored until they decay below discharge limits. The limits of daily discharge of liquid radioactive wastes and exemption levels of radioactive materials are defined in the respective Albanian legislation [1]. It will be possible to continue this practice in the foreseeable future.

The nuclear units that use radioactive materials in open form, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Centre of University Hospital, Institute of Research Veterinary and Institute of Soil Studies have in use two tanks, with total volume 1 m³ which work in alternate way. After their stuffing the liquid radioactive wastes with half-life period shorter than 60 days are disintegrated, discharged in drainage system.

Liquid radioactive wastes with a longer half-life period more than 60 days,high concentration and activity are treated with precipitation or ion-exchange methods.These liquid radioactive wastes are accumulated in glass-ware of 10 l. capacity and are treated with above mentioned methods.

In table IV are presented the daily discharges out levels and exemption levels [2,3]. Solid radioactive wastes are accumulated and stored for at least 10 half-life period in a special concrete covered bunker,. After that, those are treated as normal wastes[4 ].

Normally, the solid radioactive wastes are generated at the Research Laboratories, Radiotracer and Radiopharmaceutical Departments,Handling and Production Laboratories University Hospital Centre at the Tirana, Oil-Enterprises in the Fier city etc.

Since the seventies, the Institute of Nuclear Physics has been responsible for the management of radioactive wastes in Albania. Radiation Protection Department of the Institute is responsible for investigating procedures of the treatment of radioactive wastes.

No facility for the conditioning of spent sealed sources is available in Albania. An interim storage facility of about 20 m² floor area was constructed within the territory of the Institute.

Actually, due to several buildings in the vicinity of it, this facility is out of use.For that reason, our Institute has transferred all bags and drums into another temporary storage facility. Further actions to safely manage the radioactive wastes in our country will be to:

• Complete the register for all spent radiation sources and radioactive wastes that are generated by nuclear units in Albania.
• Continue inspection, collection and transport of spent sources and radioactive wastes, to the central spent sealed sources facility that will be built near INP.
• Condition, store and secure the spent radiation sources and radioactive wastes generated by nuclear units that have activities in use of radioisotopes in research or applications field.
• Remove and condition the spent 1.000 Ci Co-60 source available at the Oncology Hospital [5].

In 1963 a Co-60 teletherapy unit (Jupiter Junior F) was installed at the Oncology Hospital; operation started in 1965. The Co-60 was replaced time by time by Amersham and the last time in 1987. The last contract did not include a clause for the return of the source after exhaustion. Since 36 months this teletherapy machine has been out of service as some mechanical and electrical parts failed and cannot be repaired any more.

For the management of the source two options seem feasible in principle:

1. returning the Co-60 source at the origin, Amersham Co,Ltd in United Kingdom.
2. conditioning it in Albania and store it on store facility of INP.

The first attempt made by the Oncology Hospital to bring the Co-60 source, actually of an activity around 1000 Ci, back to Amersham Company failed, probably because :

• this type of source is not being used any longer,this is why Amersham will not have any interest to get it back and,
• as mechanical and electrical parts of the unit failed,retrival of the cobalt source maybe a delicate and risky task.

The second option, conditioning of the Co-60 source does not seem to be too difficult. Now, we are in agreement with Hungarian experts of the Institute of Isotopes Co , Ltd , Budapest , Hungary, to make operations for this treatment of Co-60 teletherapy source. The head containing the source can be treated and conditioned as a whole. The maximum dose rate at the surface of the head of equipment is 10 mR/h.

The conditioning of this Co-60 source in a special concrete-metal container will decrease the dose-rate at the tank surface until 2 mR/h.The first step towards conditioning should be to remove outer focus from the head. Then a container ,designed to accommodate the head ( 2.5 tons ), should be positioned below the head. After that, the head should be separated from its support. Then the concrete - metal container with the head inside could be put down and finally transported to the SSSF and interim storage [5,6,7].

• A fund already has been allocated to construct a repository for radioactive wastesThe purpose of this fund is also to finance the future activities of the hazard and radioactive wastes management in our country.
• As a next step all the radioactive units operating in Albania with financial contributes in order to mantain all the activities related to radioactive waste managment and to establish the national organisation that will be responsible for all aspects of management of the dangerrous materials in Albania[7].
• Main part of all mentioned activities will be creation of the a good normative documentation and acts, ( Law No. 8025 ) including, especially treatment hazard materials and spent radiation sources.
• The activities of all State Organisations, Ministry of Health and Environment, Commission of Radiation Protection, Institute of Nuclear Physics, that are responsible in field of hazard and radioactive wastes management , have to continue for site selection , investigation and establishment of a national facility, near INP for final disposal of these dangerous materials.

1. On Ionising Radiation Protection. Law No. 8025 , date 9.11.1995
2. C.Bergman, B.G.Pettersson. Radiation app lications and waste management. IAEA, Bul 1/1994
3. Low level and Intermediate radioactive wastes generated by Medicine, Research Centres , IAEA-July 1994
4. Treatment and conditioning of solid radioactive wastes. IAEA- July 1994.
5. H.Kraus. End of mission report on SRS Programme. IAEA-1995
6. D.Saire,C.Bergman,C.Chan. Technology transfer for safe management of radioactive waste. IAEA,Bul. 4/1994
7. L.Qafmolla, K.Dollani. Conditioning of spent radiation source in Albania. INP-Bul 8, 1995.

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