Transcript
Some materials, in addition to uranium or thorium ores, contain relatively high levels of radionuclides of natural origin. However, the uses of these ores and materials necessitate their transport in the public domain. With the change to the exemption levels in the IAEA’s Transport Regulations, 1996 Edition [3] material s which previously were not considered radioactive material for transport purposes are now subject to the packaging, communication, training and emergency response requirements. This situation significantl y increased the cost of shipping certain materials. Consequently, radiation hazards needed to be evaluated and decisions made regarding the degree of control that should be exercised to ensure their safe transport. During the transport of these materials, the radiological safety of the worker, the public and the environment must be ensured. As the Member States were concerned over the changes that were implemented in the 1996 edition of the Transport Regulations, the IAEA felt that a sound basis was needed for the current requirements or for introducing appropriate amendments to the requirements. Topics were identified that could lead to recommendations to revise the Transport Regulations (e.g. the factor of 10 and the ‘intended use’ limitation in paragraph 107[e]). The data collected by this CRP will be used to determine the eff ectiveness of the Transport Regulations and recommend revisions to the Transport Regulations, if appropriate, to accommodate the new information. Therefore, the scope of the CRP was aimed at the collection, review, analysis and evaluation of internationally existing material and info rmation on transport and packaging of NORM.
