ASTM_D_5928_-_18a.pdf

Designation:D592818aStandard Practice forScreening of Waste for Radioactivity1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5928;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice covers the screening for,and radiation above ambient background levels or user-definedcriteria,or both,in liquid,sludge,or solid waste materials.1.2 This practice is intended to be a gross screening methodfor determining the presence or absence of radioactive mate-rials in liquid,sludge,or solid waste materials.It is notintended to replace more sophisticated quantitative analyticaltechniques,but to provide a method for rapidly screeningsamples for radioactivity above ambient background levels oruser-defined criteria,or both,for facilities prohibited fromhandling radioactive waste.1.3 This practice may not be suitable for applications suchas site assessments and remediation activities.1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as thestandard.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety,health,and environmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.1.6 This international standard was developed in accor-dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-ization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recom-mendations issued by the World Trade Organization TechnicalBarriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C859 Terminology Relating to Nuclear Materials3.Terminology3.1 For terminology related to radioactive materials,seeTerminology C859.4.Summary of Practice4.1 Asample is held within 6 mm of the detector window ofa radiation survey meter,and the visible or audible reaction ofthe meter,or both,is noted.The user defines an application/project-specific“negative”and“positive”result criteria.A“negative”test result indicates radiation levels are below theuser-established criteria;a“positive”test result indicates theradiation levels are above the user-established criteria.5.Significance and Use5.1 Most facilities disposing or utilizing waste materials areprohibited from handling wastes that contain radioactive ma-terials.This practice provides the user a rapid method forscreening waste material samples in the field or laboratory forthe presence or absence of radioactivity at user-establishedcriteria.It is important to these facilities to be able to verifygenerator-supplied information that radioactive or mixedwastes have not been included in shipments of waste materials.6.Interferences6.1 Needle deflections or audible clicks of the survey meter,or both,occur due to naturally occurring omni-directionalbackground radiation.This level of ambient background radia-tion should be periodically assessed.See Section 10.6.2 Possible sources of interference include pacemakers,X-ray-generating equipment,radium-based luminescent dials,polonium-based static eliminators,and smoke detectors con-taining a radioactive isotope-sensing mechanism.Such inter-ferences can usually be traced to their source using the portableinstrument specified in this practice.6.3 A large amount of potassium in the waste sample mayproduce a positive result due to the natural presence of theradioactive isotope,potassium-40.6.4 The sensitivity of this practice to beta and gammaradiation may be dependent on sample volume.Asmall samplevolume with readings near background levels may give a falsenegative result.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D34 on WasteManagement and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D34.01.05 onScreening Methods.Current edition approved Sept.1,2018.Published September 2018.Originallyapproved in 1996.Last previous edition approved in 2018 as D5928 18.DOI:10.1520/D5928-18A.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.1 6.5 Some radioactive isotopes,such as tritium/hydrogen-3and carbon-14,may not emit radiation of sufficient energy to bedetected.If suspected to be present