Transportation of Naturally Occurring Radioactive

Material (NORM)

P Hinrichsen National Nuclear Regulator

NATURALLY-OCCURRING

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

(NORM)

Radioactive materials which occur naturally and where human activities increase the exposure of people to ionising radiation

Uranium mining exposes those involved to NORM in the uranium orebody.

NNR MANDATE

The NNR Mandate for regulating the transport of radioactive material comes from Section 7(h) of the

National Nuclear Regulator Act (Act 47 of 1999).

7 (h) for purposes of this Act, [the Regulator may] act as the national competent authority in connection with

the International Atomic Energy Agency Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material.

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

REGULATIONS FOR THE SAFE TRANSPORT OF

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

In terms of the NNRA, all transports of radioactive

material, must be undertaken in terms of the requirements of the

International Atomic Energy Agency Regulations for the Safe

Transport of Radioactive Material

(hereinafter referred to as the

Regulations).

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

VIENNA AUSTRIA

TRANSPORT SAFETY STANDARDS COMMITTEE

(TRANSSC)

30 Member States 10 Observer Organisations

NINE CLASSES OF DANGEROUS GOODS

RECOGNISED INTERNATIONALY

Class 1 Explosives

Class 2 Gases

Class 3 Flammable liquids

Class 4 Flammable solids

Class 5 Oxidizing

substances and

organic peroxides

Class 6 Toxic and

infectious

substances

Class 7 Radioactivematerial

Class 8 Corrosives

Class 9 Miscellaneous

dangerous goods

WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY MODES OF TRANSPORT FOR DANGEROUS GOODS

Fraction of all goods that are

Dangerous Goods

15%

Fraction of all Dangerous Goods

that are Radioactive

Road

Rail

Air

Sea or Canal

20%

3% - 4%

50%

<2%

<2%

<10%

<1%

INTERNATIONAL MODAL DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATORS

IATA-DGR IMO-IMDG ICAO-TI

Air

Transport

Regulators

Air

Transport

Industry

Sea

Transport

Regulators

Inland

Transport

Regulators

UN Orange Book

Model

Regulations

IAEA

SSR-6

Requirements, but not Mandatory Recommendations

All dangerous goods

CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNENCE AGREEMENTS

South African

Maritime Safety

Authority

South African

Civil Aviation

Authority

Dept of

Transport

Railway Safety

Regulator

Dept of Health

Directorate Radiation Control

National Nuclear

Regulator

WG

GROUP IV MATERIALS: EXCLUDED

The NNR Act does not apply to any Group IV hazardous substances as defined in Section 1 of the Hazardous Substances Act

(Act no. 15 0f 1973).

(Department of Health Directorate of Radiation Control)

Cs-137 Sources Industrial Radiography Sources

REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS

Section 20 (3) No person may engage in any “action” described in section 2(1)(c) other than any action contemplated in subsection (1) or (2), except under the authority of a certificate of registration or a certificate of exemption”

(NORM Facilities)

Certificate of

Registration Certificate of

Exemption

AUTHORISATION OF TRANSPORT

To: Ilah Wannit

Radioactive Material, Type A Package UN2915

Gross Mass = 60 kg

TYPE A

Co-60 24 MBq

0.8

A / Austrian Container Co.

Certificate of

Registration

Legal Document

Inspected by the NNR

CLASSIFICATION OF NORM

FOR TRANSPORT

Low Specific Activity LSA I (LSA II & LSA III)

UN 2912 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, LOW SPECIFIC

ACTIVITY (LSA-I), Non-Fissile or Fissile Excepted

Surface Contaminated Object SCO I (SCO II)

UN 2913 RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, SURFACE

CONTAMINATED OBJECTS (SCO-I OR SCO-II), Non-

Fissile or Fissile Excepted

CLASSIFICATION OF NORM

FOR TRANSPORT

TRANSPORT HAZARDS

•ROUTINE Conditions of transport and

•ACCIDENT conditions of transport

•EXTERNAL RADIATION HAZARDS

•

•INTERNAL RADIATION HAZARDS

• CONTAINMENT

• CONTROL OF THE EXTERNAL RADIATION LEVEL

• WARNING OF CONTENTS

• DOCUMENTATION

APPLIED PROTECTIVE MEASURES

UN2912

UN2912

------------------------------------------

MAXIMUM RADIATION LEVELS

FOR Conveyances

2m

O.1 mSv at 2m from

any external surface

of conveyance

2 mSv/h at any

point on the

external surface of

conveyance

Any occupied position:

ALARA & RPP

RADIATION PROTECTION CONTROLS:

LABELING

Three categories

TRANSPORT INDEX is the number which expresses the maximum

radiation dose in mSv hr-1 at one metre from the centre of the package.

•Category I : Radiation level < 0.005 mSvhr-1.

•Category II : Radiation levels on the outside of the package

> 0.005 mSvhr-1, but < 0.5 mSvhr-1.

•Category III : Radiation level > 0.5 mSvhr-1 on the outside

RADIATION PROTECTION CONTROLS:

LABELING

CAT I Label CAT II Label CAT III Label

CLASS 7 Label

RADIATION PROTECTION CONTROLS:

PACKAGING & LABELING

2913

Transport Document

Radioactive Material, Low Specific Activity (LSA-I) CLASS 7 UN 2912 U (dep) Solid Oxide 0.1 MBq EXCLUSIVE USE SHIPMENT

I hereby declare that the contents of this consignment are fully and accurately described above by the proper shipping name and are classified, packed, marked and labelled, and are in all respects in roper conditions for transport by (insert mode(s) of transport involved) according to the applicable international and national governmental regulations.

W. A. Winters 29 February 00

Unpackaged

SCO

Unpackaged

LSA

2912

TYPICAL NORM TRANSPORTS

• Scrap metal to local scrap dealers

• Transports of NORM ores (mainly within a licensed facility)

• Ammonium Diuranate (ADU) from Anglogold Ashanti to Nuclear Fuels Corporation (NUFCOR)

• Uranium Oxides from NUFCOR for export

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Paul Hinrichsen Principal Radiation Protection Specialist

Radioactive Transport Specialist

National Nuclear Regulator Phone: +27 (12) 674 7166

E-mail: phinrich@nnr.co.za

Eco Glade Office Park I Eco Glades Office 2 Block GI 420 Witch Hazel Avenue I Centurion

P. O. Box 7106 I Centurion I 0046