Transport of RAM IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency
Transport of Radioactive Material
A Detailed Overview
Stephen Whittingham
Head of Transport Safety Unit
Division of Radiation, Transport & Waste Safety
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
email: s.whittingham@iaea.org

Overview
• Introduction
• Overview of transport of radioactive material
• The international regulatory framework
• IAEA SSR-6 Transport Regulations

• In industry - non-destructive testing and measurement
• In our homes and work places, smoke detectors and energy
saving lights
• In the environment - control of disease carrying insects, removal of
pests in food and other goods
• Mobile phones – computers and mobile phones contain electronic
components made of tantalum metal (extracted from a radioactive ore)
• Civil nuclear power generation programmes
Overview of transport of radioactive material (1)

In health care
Diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease and organ failure
80% of surgical gloves and nearly 50% of disposable medical devices
are sterilized using radioactive materials
Each Year
Over 4 billion diagnostic medical radiation procedures
50 million nuclear medicine procedures
5.5 million patients treated with radiotherapy
In over 50 countries

• ~20 million shipments of radioactive material occur each year, much less
than 5% by the nuclear industry
• Commercial shipping (for larger sources, bulk material Uranium ores, etc)
• Transport by air (short half-life material – Radiopharmaceuticals)
• Almost, if not all, by road
• Small percentage by rail

Safety Guides
Safety Requirements
Safety Fundamentals
Regulations – IAEA Safety Standards Hierarchy (2)

The IAEA Safety Standards
SSR 6 (2012)
GSR Part 1
IAEA TS-G-1.4
IAEA TS-G-1.5
IAEA TS-G-1.2
IAEA TS-G-1.3
Emergency Response
Management System
SSG 26 Advisory Material
Radiation Protection
Programmes
Compliance Assurance
SSG 33 Schedules
Guidance Documents
Regulations – IAEA Safety Standards (2)
GSR Part 3

Road, Rail and Inland Waterway
(Europe)
Air
Sea
UN MODEL
REGULATIONS
All 9 Dangerous Goods
Classes - All modes
SSR 6 (2012)
Class 7 - All modes
Mainly
Package
design
approval
Regulators /
some
Transport
Regulators
Some countries
Regulations – The international regulatory framework (2)
MODAL REGULATIONS AIR, LAND & SEA
All 9 Dangerous Goods Classes

Overview of regulatory framework – SSR-6
• Prescriptive requirements - revised on biennial basis
• Supported by Advisory Material – aids consistent interpretation
• Global, multi-modal but not mandatory
• All 168 IAEA Member States can participate
• Transposed into UN Model Regulations
• Text does not look like UN or modal texts
• No guidance for UN or modal provisions, so legal texts need to address
everything
• Modes take Class 7 provisions from UN, not from SSR 6
• Few UN national delegations include Class 7 experts
Regulations – IAEA SSR-6 (2)

• UNITED NATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS on the
transport of dangerous goods
• A body established by ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council)
in 1957
Regulations – UN Model Regulations (2)

• Was originally the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of
Dangerous Goods
• Now a sub-committee of UN Committee of Experts on the Transport
of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
• Originally consisted of ‘experts’ drawn from countries with
demonstrable expertise and interest in the transport of dangerous
goods

• Draws up non-mandatory ‘Recommendations on the Transport of
Dangerous Goods’ for all modes of transport throughout the world
• Written in the form of ‘Model Regulations’ for international and
national legislation
• Known as the ‘Orange Book’

• Makes decisions by simple majority voting - not by consensus
• Currently 27 voting countries, increasing geographical
representation but European dominated
• Non-voting countries and inter-governmental organisations can
attend as ‘observers’
• International trade associations in UN consultative status may also
attend
• Currently working on the 20th - revised edition (19th) taking effect
from 1 January 2016
• Works on 2 year revision cycle
• Meets in Palais des Nations in Geneva each June and December
• Ad hoc Working Groups meet (inter-session) if required

National
Regulations
Modal Regulations
UN Model Regulations
IAEA SSR6 (2012)
State variations
Regulations – International framework (2)

Objective of SSR-6 (para 104)
… is to establish requirements that must be satisfied to ensure safety and
to protect persons, property and the environment from the effects of
radiation in the transport of radioactive material. This protection is
achieved by requiring:
• Containment of the radioactive contents;
• Control of external radiation levels;
• Prevention of criticality;
• Prevention of damage caused by heat.
No routeing or physical protection controls are specified - these may be
implemented for reasons other than radiological safety
Regulations – SSR-6 (2)

Regulatory approach (SSR-6 para 106)
A graded approach is applied in specifying the performance
standards which are characterized in terms of three general severity
levels:
(a) Routine conditions of transport (incident free);
(b) Normal conditions of transport (minor mishaps);
(c) Accident conditions of transport.
Regulations – SSR-6 (2)

‘Transport’ (SSR-6 para 106)
… Transport comprises all operations and conditions associated
with, and involved in, the movement of radioactive material; these
include the design, manufacture, maintenance and repair of
packaging, and the preparation, consigning, loading, carriage
including in-transit storage, unloading and receipt at the final
destination of loads of radioactive material and packages.
Radioactive material (SSR-6 para 236)
…..any material containing radionuclides where both the activity
concentration (Bq/g) and the total activity in the consignment (Bq)
exceed the values specified in paras 402 - 407
Regulations – SSR-6 Definitions (2)

Packaging (SSR-6 para 232)
Packaging shall mean one or more receptacles and any other
components or materials necessary for the receptacles to perform the
containment and other safety functions
Package (SSR-6 para 231)
….. shall mean the packaging with its radioactive contents as presented
for transport

Consignor shall mean any person, organization or government which
prepares a consignment for transport (SSR-6 para 212)
Carrier shall mean any person, organization or government undertaking the
carriage of radioactive material by any means of transport. The term includes
both carriers for hire or reward (known as common or contract carriers in
some countries) and carriers on own account (known as private carriers in
some countries (SSR-6 para 206)
Consignee shall mean any person, organization or government which is
entitled to take delivery of a consignment (SSR-6 para 210)

Unilateral approval shall mean an approval of a design which is required
to be given by the competent authority of the country of origin of the
design only (SSR-6 para 205)
Multilateral approval shall mean approval by the relevant competent
authority of the country of origin of the design or shipment, as applicable,
and also, where the consignment is to be transported through or into any
other country, approval by the competent authority of that country
(SSR-6 para 204)

• Radiation protection shall be optimised using ALARA, social and
economic factors being taken into account
• Emergency response provisions, established at national and/or
international levels shall be observed
• Management systems shall be established to standards acceptable to
the competent authority
• Training – the provision of appropriate radiation protection training for
workers and general awareness/familiarisation training for others and
the need for training records
Regulations – SSR-6 General Provisions (2)

Activity Limits Packaging Type Accumulation of Packages
and Classification and Consignment Limits
Activity Content (Bq) Package Type Limits TI / CSI
Activity Concentration (Bq/g) Package Requirements Dose rates
Solid, Liquid or gas Package Certification - unshielded (3m)
Radionuclide(s) Special Form - surface
Activity Content (A1, A2) Radiometric survey - 1 m / 2m
Temperature
Contamination
I-White, II & III Yellow
SSR-6 Activity limits and classification (2)

A1 and A2 values
• A series of exposure routes are considered, each of which might
lead to radiation exposure (internal or external) to persons in the
vicinity of a Type A package involved in a severe transport
accident:
• External photon dose
• External beta dose
• Inhalation dose
• Skin and ingestion due to contamination transfer
• Submersion dose (gaseous isotopes)
• Effective or committed dose to a person in the vicinity 50 mSv
• 0.5 Sv for individual organs or 0.15 Sv to the lens of the eye
• Assumed a person will remain at 1m from a damaged package for
< 30 minutes
SSR-6 Activity limits and material restrictions (2)

Examples of A1 and A2
Radionuclide A1
(TBq)
Mass (g) A2
(TBq)
Mass (g) Specific
activity
(TBq/g)
Co-60 0.4 0.00095 0.4 0.00095 420
Ir-192 1 0.0029 0.6 0.0017 340
Mo-99 1 5.6E-5 0.6 3.3E-5 18 000
SSR-6 Activity limits and material restrictions (2)

Temperature
Contamination
SSR-6 Package types (2)

The performance criterion of a package type depends upon its permitted
contents (A1 and A2)
In IAEA SSR6 the following categories are defined [CA approved]:
• Excepted packages
• Industrial packages Type (IP-1, IP-2, IP-3) [ IF for fissile material]
• Type A package [ AF for fissile material]
• Type B(M), Type B(U) package [ B(U)F and B(M)F for fissile material]
• Type C package [ CF for fissile material]
• Type H(U) [ H(U)F for fissile material]
• Type H(M) [ H(M)F for fissile material]
• Shipment approval (T)
• Special arrangement (X)
• Low specific activity (LSA-I, LSA-II and LSA-III)
• Surface contaminated objects (SCO-I, SCO-II)
• Special Form (S)
• Low Dispersible Radioactive Material (LDRM)
SSR-6 Graded approach (2)

SSR-6 Graded approach, UN numbers (2)
UN number Proper shipping name
Excepted package
UN 2908 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, EXCEPTED PACKAGE – EMPTY
PACKAGE
UN 2909 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, EXCEPTED PACKAGE – ARTICLES
MANUFACTURED FROM NATURAL URANIUM or DEPLETED
URANIUM or NATURAL THORIUM
UN 2910 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, EXCEPTED PACKAGE –LIMITED
QUANTITY OF MATERIAL
UN 2911 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, EXCEPTED PACKAGE –
INSTRUMENTS or ARTICLES
UN 3507 URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL,
EXCEPTED PACKAGE - less than 0.1 kg per package, non-fissile
or fissile excepted

Low specific activity material (LSA-I, LSA-II, LSA-III)
UN 2912 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA-I), non-
fissile or fissile excepted
UN 3321 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA-II),
non-fissile or fissile excepted
UN 3322 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA-III),
UN 3324 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA-II),
FISSILE
UN 3325 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA-III),
FISSILE
Surface contaminated objects (SCO-I, SCO-II)
UN 2913 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, SURFACE CONTAMINATED OBJECTS
(SCO-I or SCO-II), non-fissile or fissile excepted
UN 3326 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, SURFACE CONTAMINATED OBJECTS
(SCO-I or SCO-II), FISSILE

Type A package
UN 2915 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE, non-special form,
UN 3327 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE, FISSILE, non-
special form
UN 3332 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE, SPECIAL FORM,
UN 3333 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE,SPECIAL FORM,
FISSILE
Type B(U) package
UN 2916 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE B(U) PACKAGE , non-fissile or
fissile excepted
UN 3328 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE B(U) PACKAGE, FISSILE

Type B(M) package
UN 2917 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE B(M) PACKAGE , non-fissile or
fissile excepted
UN 3329 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE B(M) PACKAGE, FISSILE
Type C package
UN 3323 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE C PACKAGE, non-fissile or fissile
excepted
UN 3329 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE C PACKAGE, FISSILE
Uranium hexafluoride
UN 2977 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, FISSILE
UN 2978 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, non-fissile
or fissile excepted

Special arrangement
UN 2919 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TRANSPORTED UNDER SPECIAL
ARRANGEMENT, non-fissile or fissile excepted
UN 3331 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TRANSPORTED UNDER SPECIAL
ARRANGEMENT, FISSILE

Permitted package contents and release following an accident
Package type Permitted
contents
(package)
Permitted
release
following
accident
Excepted
10-3A1 (solid)
10-3A2 (solid)
10-4A2 (liquid)
2x10-2A1 (tritium)
10-3A1 (SF)
10-3A1 (Gas)
Entire contents
SSR-6 Excepted package (2)

Medical radioisotope excepted package
SSR-6 Excepted package requirements (2)

Type IP-1 package - requirements
• Excepted package requirements, plus
• The smallest overall dimension shall not be less than 10 cm
• Type IP-1, plus
• Loss or dispersal of contents would be prevented and no more than
20% increase in the maximum surface dose rate at any external
surface when subjected to:
• A free drop from a height of 0.3m to 1.2m (depending on package
mass)
• Stacking test (24 hours), the greater of 5 times package mass or
13kPa x vertically projected area
SSR-6 Type IP-1 and Type IP-2 (2)

• Type IP-1, plus
• A security seal to indicate the package has been opened
• Tie down attachments
• Take account of component temperatures ranging from -40°C to
+70°C
• Design and manufactured in accordance with national and
international standards
• Positive fastening device on containment system
• Retain contents under a reduction of ambient pressure to 60 kPa
• When subjected to water spray test, followed by free drop test,
stacking test and penetration test (normal conditions of transport),
loss or dispersal of contents would be prevented and no more than
20% increase in the maximum surface dose rate at any external
surface
SSR-6 Type IP-3 (2)

• At least one dimension not less than 5mm
• Impact test – free drop from a height of 9m
• Percussion test – drop a 25mm diameter bar, 1.4 kg mass, from
1m height
• Bend test – minimum length 10cm, rigidly clamped in horizontal
position with half length exposed
• Heat test – 800 ºC for 10 minutes
Special Form in a Type A package
• A2 (0.6 TBq Cs137)
• A1 (2 TBq Cs137 Special Form)
SSR-6 Special Form (2)

Type A content limits
• B(i) is the activity of radionuclide i as special form radioactive material
• A1(i)is the A1 value for radionuclide i
• C(j) is the activity of radionuclide j as other than special form
radioactive material
• A2(j) is the A2 value for radionuclide j
1
)
j
(
A
)
C(j
(i)
A
B(i)
j 2
i 1



SSR-6 Type A package (2)

Type A content limits
• The content limit is A2 or A1 (Special Form)
Type A package – requirements include
• Type IP-3, plus
• If designed to contain liquid radioactive material, the free drop test will
be from a height of 9m onto an unyielding target
• Followed by a penetration test from an increased height of 1.7m
• The design should include shall include sufficient absorbent material to
absorb twice the volume of liquid contents, or
• A containment system composed of a primary inner and secondary
outer containment components designed to enclose and retain the
liquid contents
• For packages designed to contain gases, the package shall prevent
loss or dispersal (tritium and noble gases are excepted)
• Additional requirements for fissile material

Type A package (after 9m drop test)

Type B content limits
• The content limit is as defined in the package design safety case
which is submitted to the competent authorities for assessment and
approval
Type B package – requirements
• Type A, plus
• Capable of operating in ambient temperatures of -40ºC to +38 ºC
• Be capable of being left unattended for one week in an ambient of
38ºC plus insolation at equilibrium thermal conditions
• with the heat generated by radioactive contents
• package continues to meet its applicable requirements for
• containment,
• Shielding, and
• Criticality control (fissile contents)
SSR-6 Type B package (2)

• Restrict the loss of radioactive contents to 10-6A2 per hour when subjected
to normal conditions of transport tests
• Restrict the loss of radioactive contents to A2 in a week when subjected to:
• A free drop from 9m onto an unyielding target
• A penetration test
• An enveloping fire of 800ºC for 30 minutes
• A water immersion test of 15m for a minimum of 8 hours
• A water immersion test of 200m for 1 hour ( >105 A2 )
• A maximum normal operating pressure of 700 kPa (gauge) – Type B(U)
• Additional requirements for fissile material

* unshielded radioactive contents
** 10 mSv/h for packages under exclusive use
(except by air which is limited to 2 mSv/h)
Package type
Dose rates
Surface** 2m 3m*
Excepted 5μSv/h
IP-I, II, II 0.1 mSv/h 10 mSv/h
Type A 2 mSv/h 0.1 mSv/h
Type B 2 mSv/h 0.1 mSv/h
Type C 2 mSv/h 0.1 mSv/h
SSR-6 Permitted package dose rates (2)

Temperature
Contamination
SSR-6 Consignment limits (2)

Transport Index (SSR-6 para 244 and 523(a))
TI is a number used to provide control over radiation exposure.
TI is assigned to a package, overpack or freight container, or to
unpackaged LSA-I or SCO-1
TI =Radiation level at 1m from surface of package (mSv/h) x 100
Criticality Safety Index (SSR-6 para 218)
CSI is a number used to provide control over the accumulation of
packages, overpacks or freight containers containing fissile material
CSI assigned to a package, overpack or freight container containing
fissile material
SSR-6 Definitions (2)

Type of conveyance Limit on sum of TIs
Freight container (small, large) 50
Vehicle 50
Aircraft
Passenger
Cargo
50
200
Seagoing vessel
Hold, compartment or defined deck area:
Packages, overpacks, small freight containers
Large freight containers
Total vessel
50
200
200
No limit
Transport Index (TI) limits for conveyances not under Exclusive Use
SSR-6 Consignment TI limits (2)

Type of conveyance Limit on sum of CSIs
Not Exclusive Use Exclusive Use
Freight container (small / large) 50 / 50 na / 100
Vehicle 50 100
Aircraft Passenger
Cargo
50
50
na
100
Seagoing vessel
Hold, compartment or defined deck area:
Total vessel
50
50
200
No limit
100
100
200
No limit
CSI limits for conveyances containing fissile material
SSR-6 Consignment CSI limits (2)

• The design of the package shall take into account ambient
temperatures and pressures that are likely to be encountered during
routine conditions of transport (SSR-6 para 616)
• When transported by air, in an ambient of +38 ºC, and in the absence
on insolation, accessible surface temperature of package ≤ +50 ºC
(SSR-6 para 619)
• When transported by air, integrity of containment of packages not
affected by ambient temperatures -40 ºC to +55 ºC (SSR-6 para 620)
• Components of the packaging -40 ºC to +70 ºC (SSR-6 para 639)
• Unless transported by air, in an ambient of +38 ºC, and in the absence
on insolation, accessible surface temperature of package ≤ +85 ºC,
when transported under exclusive use (SSR-6, para 655)
SSR-6 Temperatures (2)

Non-fixed contamination on the external surfaces of a package under
routine conditions of transport shall not exceed: (IAEA SSR-6 para 508)
(a) 4 Bq/cm2 for beta and gamma emitters and low toxicity alpha emitters
(b) 0.4 Bq/cm2 for all other alpha emitters
These limits apply when averaged over 300 cm2 of any part of the surface
Fixed contamination
(c) Radiation level shall not exceed 5 µSv/h at the surface
Non-fixed contamination on the external and internal surfaces of
overpacks, freight containers, tanks, IBCs and conveyances shall not
exceed (a) and (b) except:
If equipment is dedicated to the transport of unpackaged radioactive
material under exclusive use – (a), (b) and (c) do not apply to the internal
surfaces (IAEA SSR-5 para 514)
SSR-6 Contamination (2)

SSR-6 Package Labels (2)

* Under exclusive use
II-YELLOW and III-YELLOW shall not be carried in compartments
occupied by passengers (IAEA SSR-6 para 563)
Transport index
(TI)
Radiation level at 1m from
surface of package (mSv/h)
x 100
Maximum radiation
level on external
surface
mSv/h
Category
0 ≤ 0.005 I - WHITE
> 0 ≤ 1 >0.005 ≤ 0.5 II - YELLOW
> 1 ≤ 10 > 0.5 ≤ 2 III - YELLOW
> 10 > 2 ≤ 10 III – YELLOW *
SSR-6 Package labels (2)

Stephen Whittingham
Head of Transport Safety Unit
Division of Radiation, Transport & Waste Safety
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
email: s.whittingham@iaea.org

Transport of RAM IAEA

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