Radioactive substances
Health and safety

This section covers only radioactive goods being transported.

It does not cover the risks associated with other forms of radiation (for example, from vehicle or baggage scanners or radar installations in ports and airports).

Warning: You should never have to examine or sample radioactive materials unless you have been specially trained and authorised to do so.

You should always refer to your national guidance and procedures and call on experts and specialists whenever you come across radioactive materials.

This guidance is therefore limited to identification of radioactive material and to the procedures to be applied if you consider that goods may be incorrectly labelld or following an accident or spillage.

Nothing in this guidance overrides your national procedures.

Transport of radioactive material is strictly controlled under the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Council Regulation (EURATOM) 1493/93 covers the movement of radioactive material between Member States.

There are four types of approved packaging for radioactive materials:

Excepted packages
This type of packaging is used for very small quantities of radioactive material and does not require external labelling. There is no hazard in handling the unopened package. The radioactive material inside the package must be labelled so that it is visible when the package is opened and should be identified on the shipping document. The packaging must be of an approved design.

Industrial packages
Industrial packages are used to transport low-specific activity (LSA) material or surface-contaminated objects (SCO), for example low-activity naturally radioactive ores. There are three grades of LSA materials (LSA-I, LSA-II and LSA-III) and two grades of SCO materials (SCO-I and SCO-II). Either these materials have a very low activity per unit mass or the material is in a form that is not easily dispersed. Some LSA-I and SCO-I materials may be transported unpackaged under certain conditions. In other cases, packages should be of an approved design and should be labelled as described below.

Type A packages
Type A packages are designed to transport relatively small quantities of radioactive material safely. They must withstand the normal level of rough handling likely to occur during international transport, such as falling from vehicles or being dropped, being struck by a sharp object, being exposed to rain or having other cargo stacked on top of them. Type A packages must be marked ‘Type A’ and labelled as described below.

Type B packages
Type B packages are used to transport larger amounts of radioactive materials and are designed to withstand the effects of severe accidents. The package design must be tested for resistance to fire, immersion in water and being dropped onto a hard surface from a height of 9 metres. These packages are used to transport nuclear fuel, nuclear wastes, radioisotopes for industrial radiography and other high-activity material. Type B packages must be marked ‘Type B’ and labelled as described below.

Type A and Type B packages are classified and labelled in three categories. These depend mainly on the dose rates on the surface of the package:

• The Category I label has an all white background;
• The Category II and III labels have a yellow background and indicate higher surface dose rates.

The label must also show the transport index (TI), a number between 1 and 10. The transport index indicates the dose rate at 1 metre from the surface of the package.


The name or chemical symbol of the radionuclide and its activity must also be shown on the label. LSA and SCO materials should be marked as such.

Label/Category	Maximum Surface Dose-Rate (µSv/hr)	Maximum Dose-Rate at 1 m (µSv/hr)	Transport Index (TI)
White-I	< 5	-	0
Yellow-II	< 500	< 10	0 - 1
Yellow-III	< 2000	< 100	1 - 10

The shipping documents should contain the following information:

• shipping name, describing the material in a general way;
• hazard classification number 7, the number assigned by the UN to radioactive material;
• hazard classification name, i.e. ‘radioactive material’;
• identification number, the letters UN followed by a four-digit number describing the:
  • material and its hazards;
  • radionuclides contained in the package;
  • total activity of the radioactive material;
  • physical and chemical form of the radioactive material;
  • category of label on the package;
  • Type A or Type B package.

Some excepted packages may be transported by post if the following conditions are met:

• prior written permission has been obtained from the postal service;
• the activity in the package is less than one tenth of the activity limit for ‘excepted packages’;
• the package is clearly marked on the outside with the words:
  ‘RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL — Quantities permitted for movement by post’.

Most radioactive packages are correctly labelled and documented. However, some may be either incorrectly labelled or not labelled at all. Check the accompanying documentation and labelling for words like ‘radioactive’, ‘radiation’, ‘category yellow-II’ and ‘activity’ and look for the radiation trefoil symbol on the package. You should take the following action:

• do not open or continue to inspect the package;
• clearly label the package ‘Danger — May be radioactive’;
• store the package in an approved, marked and designated area (or if this is not possible secure the container or vehicle and move everyone away from the immediate area);
• try to obtain further details of the shipment from the consignee/consignor, i.e.:
  • what does the package contain?
  • what transport label category and type is it?
  • what is its activity?
  • what form of radioactive material is it?
• inform the person responsible under your national procedures.

Whenever possible, you should waive internal inspections of packages declared to be radioactive. However, if examination is necessary, remove the package to a designated area and:

• consult your national procedures; and/or
• contact your radiation protection authority for advice.
• 
  Do not proceed until a qualified radiation physicist is present.

Any radioactive materials taken under your control must be stored in a designated radioactive materials storage area. This area must be lockable and must be identified with suitable notices. In many cases it may be convenient to arrange to use part of a shipping agent’s radioactive material storage area. In this case a separate secure area is needed inside the store to protect the chain of evidence.

For safety reasons the sum of the transport indices (see the table above) of packages stored in a single area must be less than 50.

If you suspect that a package containing radioactive material has been so damaged that the radioactive contents could escape:

• do not touch the package;
• cordon off the area around the package and keep everyone away from the area;
• inform the person responsible under your national procedures.

You must refer to the legislation and the guidance of your national administration for more information.