Requirements for radioactive materials

Special form radioactive material must be of a reasonable size to enable it to be easily salvaged or found after an incident or loss hence the restriction on minimum size. The figure of 5 mm is arbitrary but practical and reasonable, bearing in mind the type of material normally classified as special form radioactive material. 

TABLE m. COMPARISON OF THE FOUR VOLUMETRIC LEAK TEST METHODS RECOMMENDED BY ASTON et al. [3] 

Leak test method Sensitivity (Pa-mVs) Minimum void in capsule (mm ) 

When using non-radioactive material as a surrogate, the measurement of leaked material must be related to the limit of activity specified in para. 603(c) of the Regulations. 

Where a sealed capsule constitutes part of the special form radioactive material, it should be ensured that the capsule offers no possibility of being opened by normal handling or unloading measures. Otherwise the possibility could arise that the radioactive material is handled or transported without the protecting capsule. 

LSA-III material shall be a solid of such a nature that if the entire contents of a package were subjected to the test specified in para. 703 the activity in the water would not exceed 0.L42. 

Special form radioactive material shall have at least one dimension not less than 5 mm. 

Special form radioactive material shall be of such a nature or shall be so designed that if it is subjected to the tests specified in paras 70T-711, it shall meet the following requirements  

Low dispersible radioactive material shall be such that the total amount of 

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IAEA has been developing recommendations on classification of radioactive waste and principles for exempting radioactive waste from regulatory requirements for radioactive material for more than 30 y. This Section briefly reviews these developments. 

Marking requirements for nonbulk packages are addressed in 49 CFR 172.301, and bulk package marking requirements are found in 49 CFR 172.302. Additional requirements for radioactive materials are found in 49 CFR 172.310. 

The labeling requirements for radioactive material are set forth in 49 CFR 172.403. There are, however, many exceptions to labeling requirements in the specific provisions for limited quantity shipments, LSA, and SCO, as discussed in 49 CFR 173.421 through 173.427, and the requirements of these sections should always be reviewed first before considering the standard labeling requirements. 

Standard labeling requirements for radioactive material shipments are based on the radiation level at the surface of the package and the transport index (the radiation level at 1 m, as defined in 49 CFR 173.403). Standard labels are as follows, in order of increasing dose rate ... 

This publication is structured so that Section 11 defines the terms that are required for the purposes of the Regulations Section 111 provides general provisions Section IV provides activity limits and material restrictions used throughout these Regulations Section V provides requirements and controls for transport Section VI provides requirements for radioactive material and for packagings and packages Section Vll provides requirements for test... 

A written route plan required for radioactive materials and for explosives. 

Radioactive materials are divided into three categories White I, Yellow 11, and Yellow 111. The requirements for radioactive materials can be foimd starting with 49 CFR 173.401. ... 

Half-life" is the time it takes a radioactive material to release half of its radioactive energy. Half-life may also be defined as the time required for radioactivity levels to drop by a factor of 2. 

Very little work has been carried out on radiochemical derivatization for analysis of trace amounts of materials. The technique has the advantage of being both selective and sensitive. Die main advantage is that the sample background does not cause interference in the detection as it does in most other methods and which necessitates some degree of clean-up. Also, the reactions used are those for normal derivatization procedures, the only difference being that the reagent is radiolabeled and that appropriate precautions are required for radioactive substances. The few methods described below illustrate the application of this technique. 

Confine your work with radioisotopes to a small area in the laboratory. A convenient plan is to use a stainless steel tray lined with absorbent blotter paper coated on the bottom side with polyethylene. The paper must be replaced every day. If the radioactive matenals are volatile, the work should be done in a fume hood. If spills occur, a small work area such as a tray is much easier to clean than a large lab bench. If or other strong j8 emitter is used, it is necessary to work at all times with shielding between yourself and the radioactive samples. The most cost-effective and convenient shielding material is Plexiglas. The thicknesses of shielding required for various materials are given in Table 6.3. 

Failure to include required additional entries for radioactive material on a shipping paper, or providing incorrect information for these additional entries. 172.203(d) 2,000 to 5,000. 

UN numbers for radioactive material are now used to relate requirements in the Schedules to the Regulations. This has proven to be an advantage in terms of identifying the requirements applicable to specific package or material types. UN numbers can also be used for compliance situations, performance checks and controls, data collection and other statistical purposes, should the competent authority find merit in this application. 

Radioactivity decays exponentially with time. The time required for a material to lose half of its radioactivity is the half-life. Tables of physical properties of radioactive materials list their half-life values. A material that has some radiation level at one point in time will have one half that radiation level after one half-life. Some materials decay quickly and have half-life values of days or less. Carbon-14 decays slowly and has ahalf-life of 5730 years. Uranium-238 is both radioactive and very toxic. It has a half-hfe of 4.5 bUhon years. 

For radioactive materials, additional specific requirements may be applicable, including... 

For radioactive material, additional marking requirements apply... 

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