Qualitative Cost-Benefit Assessment of Ownership Transfer versus Continued Storage of Legacy 226 Ra Sources Owned by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute

Legacy 226Ra sealed sources require sustained management because of their high radiotoxicity and very long half-life with decay to 222Rn. This study presents a nonmonetized qualitative cost-benefit analysis comparing two management options for the legacy 226Ra inventory at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute–Radioactive Waste Management Facility (PNRI-RWMF): (1) transfer of ownership to an organization with recycling capabilities, identified through the International Atomic Energy Agency Global Radium-226 Management Initiative and (2) continued interim storage at PNRI-RWMF.The assessed inventory consists of 22 containers, including 21 cemented drums and 1 container holding encapsulated 226Ra sources. Under the ownership transfer option, PNRI-RWMF personnel would demolish the cemented drums and recover the sources, while the recipient would undertake reconditioning, encapsulation, transport packaging, and shipment.Four PNRI-RWMF personnel directly involved in managing the inventory independently assessed the short- and long-term benefits, costs, and risks using five-point magnitude, consequence, and likelihood scales. Composite indices were presented through heat maps and synthesized using median ratings, ranges, confidence levels, and expert agreement. The ownership transfer option received very high ratings for post-transfer inventory removal, reduction of storage and stewardship burdens, beneficial reuse of 226Ra, and avoidance of intergenerational obligations. However, it also introduced high implementation burdens associated with demolition, source recovery, and secondary radioactive waste management.Continued storage avoided the immediate handling and transport activities but retained high long-term risks related to package deterioration, radon and helium management, surveillance, institutional costs, storage capacity use, and intergenerational responsibility. Overall, ownership transfer provided the more favorable long-term outcome, subject to safe source recovery, regulatory compliance, secondary waste management, and formal acceptance by the recipient.