Radioactive materials and waste

Radioactive substances are used in some industries, such as the medical industry and some types of manufacturing. You must follow specific legal rules when keeping and using radioactive materials, and when accumulating and disposing of radioactive waste. This is to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.

What are radioactive materials?

Radioactive material includes substances or articles that are radioactive, or have become radioactive through non-natural processes, for example at a nuclear reactor.

There are two main types of radioactive substances:

• open radioactive sources, also called unsealed sources
• sealed radioactive sources, also called closed sources

Radioactive materials are used by many organisations and businesses. For example, hospitals, research organisations, radiographers and process industries use radioactive materials for:

• diagnosing and treating disease
• controlling industrial processes
• preventing static electricity
• industrial radiography
• scientific research

Mobile radioactive apparatus may contain sealed or open radioactive sources.

What is radioactive waste?

Radioactive waste is anything that your business discards, intends to discard, or is required to discard, which contains radioactive material.

Radioactive waste can be in a solid, liquid or gaseous form.

What are the four types of radioactive waste?

The four types of radioactive waste are:

• high-level radioactive waste that contains levels of radioactivity so high that heat is generated, eg waste created by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel
• intermediate-level radioactive waste that contains more radioactivity than low-level waste but without the heat generation that occurs in high-level waste, eg redundant sealed sources
• low-level radioactive waste that is within specified concentrations of radioactivity, eg everyday items such as paper or plastics contaminated by radioactivity
• very low-level radioactive waste that is below a specific concentration of radioactivity, eg laboratory and medical equipment used to handle radioactive material

Radioactive waste may include items contaminated by radioactive material or other radioactive waste, such as:

• clothing that needs to be disposed of
• laboratory wastes from the use of open radioactive material
• a sealed source which is scrap

Radioactive substances users at non-nuclear sites are only likely to produce very low-level or low-level radioactive waste.

How to comply with rules and regulations on radioactive materials

If your business keeps or uses radioactive material, or accumulates or disposes of radioactive waste, you must have a certificate of registration or authorisation or be covered by an exemption. You must comply with the conditions in your certificate of registration or authorisation as they control the impact your activities have on the environment and human health.

If you handle radioactive substances you may have to comply with other legislation in addition to complying with your certificate of registration or authorisation.

If you are importing or exporting radioactive materials or waste, you must contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to find out what you need to do.

The Export Control Organisation at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills is responsible for legislating, assessing and issuing export and trade licences for specific categories of controlled goods, including certain radioactive sources.

If your business uses or keeps radioactive substances you may need to comply with specific health and safety requirements.

If your business transports radioactive substances you may need to comply with transport requirements.