1. Radiation Safety Program
Transportation of Dangerous Goods Class 7 – Shipping
CDHA -MS Clip Art File
Radiation Safety Office (Central Zone)
QEII Bethune Building Room 244
1276 South Park Street
Haifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2Y9

2. Introduction The following presentation....
Provides information on packaging and shipping Class 7 Radioactive Material
Acts as a refresher for staff working in areas where radioactive material is packaged or shipped
Serves as part of a radiation safety orientation program for new employees

3. Key Objectives
Understand the Transportation of Dangerous Goods requirements for Class 7 Radioactive Packages.
Identify the requirements for packaging radioactive material for Class 7 shipment.
Identify the documentation required for Class 7 shipments.
State the differences between ground and air requirements for Class 7 packages.
Understand the classification, different package limits and shipping requirements for radioactive packages.

4. Materials or Demonstrations
Shipping Requirements
Topics to Cover
All shippers are required to meet the following conditions for a package
Correct Labels
radiation warning
shipping address
packing documents
Identified Activity Limits
Correct Package Type
Excepted Package
Type A Package
Tamper proof seal
Materials or Demonstrations

5. Regulatory Requirements
Where there is a conflict in regulations
follow the most
restrictive
Regulatory Requirements
Understand the basic requirements of the regulations governing the transport of radioactive material.
Transport is Governed by:
Safety Series on the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (International Atomic Energy Agency)
Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations
(Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission)
TDG Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (Clear Language)
(Transport Canada)

6. Training
Training required for people who offer for transport or transport dangerous goods
Training provides information necessary to enable employee to do the job
Note that your certificate must be signed
Certificate
Valid 3 years (ground), 2 years (air)
Signed by employer and employee
Produced on request by inspector
CDHA MS Clip Art File

7. There are nine classes of Dangerous Goods
Package Type
There are nine classes of Dangerous Goods
Class 1 – Explosives
Class 2 – Gases
Class 3 – Flammable Liquids
Class 4 – Flammable Solids
Class 5 – Oxidizing Substances
Class 6 – Poisonous/ Infectious
Class 7 – Radioactive
Class 8 – Corrosive
Class 9 – Miscellaneous

8. There are no packing groups or risk groups for this classification.
Package Type
Radioactive Material is Class 7
There are no packing groups or risk groups for this classification.

9. Class 7 is always a primary class
Package Type
Class 7 is always a primary class
Primary Class labels on packages take precedence over all other classes
…except 2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.1, 5.2, 6.2
…but labels for these and Class 7 must be used together as all are considered primary classes
Generally, radioactive packages would not need any other label as the other primary classes are rarely present in radioactive packages.

10. Package Type
The first question to ask, when shipping radioactive material is...
“Do I need to follow the regulations?”
There are few exceptions and virtually all radioactive material used in a hospital setting would fall under the Class 7 Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations.

11. Exempt amounts (generally < 70 Bq/g) or less than
Package Type
You do not need to follow the regulations if you are shipping radioactive material......
As Natural ore (<10xA2) [none shipped at the hospital]
Within private property [between buildings at VG exempt .... NOT between sites]
As substance in a human or animal (<10-6A2/kg) [injected patients and animals exempt]
Over private roads with controlled access [none shipped at the hospital]
Substance contained in consumer product [none shipped at the hospital]
Substance in animal tissue or remains (<10-6A2/kg) [any organ or tissue samples exempt]
Exempt amounts (generally < 70 Bq/g) or less than
10 MBq (270µCi) of 99mTc!
[thus virtually every radioactive shipment must follow the TDG regulations]

12. Do I need to follow the regulations?
Package Type
Do I need to follow the regulations?
The next thing to check is to see if your package is exempt by activity levels.
CDHA MS Clip Art File

13. Package Type
If your activity is less than TDG or CNSC stated limits then you do not have to follow Class 7 Regulations
Virtually nothing is less so all hospital shipments must follow TDG Class 7 Regulations.

14. Excepted or Type A? Package Type
If it is not exempt....then is it a radioactive package so determine if it should be....
Excepted or Type A?
To determine the package type you have to....
Check item activity limits
Differentiate between Liquid or solid
Categorize as Instrument or material
Know the A2 values
Determine if Surface Dose Rate <5 µSv/hr

15. Package Type Activity Limit for Excepted Packages is:
(from IAEA SS TS-R-1)
Example: Activity Limit is 10-4 the A2 Value for liquid. If activity is over this then it has to go as Type A package.

16. Package Type
Use different activity limits if you are shipping instruments
Use different activity limits for solids versus liquids
(from IAEA SS TS-R-1)

17. Package Type Limited Activity Cutoff
Examples of various Excepted or Type A package limits
Refer to your department reference book for limits.
Cut-off Limits for Selected Radionuclides Used in Medicine
Radionuclide A2
(TBq)
Excepted Package Limits
Liquid Form 10-4A2
(MBq)
Solid Form 10-3A2
(GBq)
Type A Package Limits A2
Cs137, F18, Mo99
0.6 60
600
Cobalt 57 10
1000
10,000
C14, Ga67, In111 3
300
3,000
Iodine 123/125
Iodine 131
0.7 70
700
Phosphorous 32
0.5 50
500
Technetium99m 4
400
4,000
Thallium 201
Yttrium 90
0.3 30

18. ∑ Package Type 1 Mixtures of Nuclides in same package
Sum of Nuclide Activities/A1 and 2 values should be < 1
B(i) ∑
A1(i)
C(j)
A2(j) + ≤ 1
B = special form activity
A1 = special form value
C = other form activity
A2 = other form value
Hospital shipments rarely require this calculation

19. ‘Radioactive Material, Excepted Package, Empty Packaging’
Package Type
The Empty Package
If the package previously contained radioactivity you can have
β and  residual activity up to 100 x 4Bq/cm2 over 300cm2 [120kBq or 3.2uCi]
You can ship empty without labels but you still need shipping document, UN identification 2908 and the wording
‘Radioactive Material, Excepted Package, Empty Packaging’

20. then it can go as a regular non TDG package.
Package Type
The Empty Package
If nothing is in the package and you document that any β /  contamination is below the limits
(4Bq/cm2 over 300cm2)
then it can go as a regular non TDG package.

21. Packaging The Shipping Container
The Shipping Container must follow strict design requirements
AND
Departments must have a copy of the shipping container certificate of testing

22. Need certificate for shipping container
Packaging
Key Point 1
Need certificate for shipping container
The certificate verifies the container has met the International Atomic Energy Agency standard to ensure the container can withstand normal transport conditions.
Examples of the testing includes water spray, free drop, stacking and penetration.
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer of the container to ensure the testing is completed.

23. Packaging Key points… Key Point 2
Appropriate Labels (Excepted, White I, Yellow II or III)
Label must be on 2 opposite sides of package
Minimum size 100mm
Type of label depends package surface
radiation dose rates
I White
II Yellow
III Yellow

24. Radiation Level at Surface and 1 metre
Packaging
Key points…
Key Point 3
Radiation Level at Surface and 1 metre
Measure radiation dose rate at the package surface and use correct label
I White
II Yellow
III Yellow
<5uSv/hr
5-500uSv/hr
uSv/hr
Measure radiation dose rate at 1 meter for Yellow II and III for transport index (dose at 1 m in uSv/hr÷10)

25. Packaging Key points… Key Point 4 UN identification and Package Type
The package must state that it is a Type A or Excepted package AND have the correct UN number assigned from the International Atomic Energy Agency standard
The most common used are:
Empty: UN 2908
Excepted: UN 2910
Type A: UN 2915

26. Packaging Key points… Key Point 5 Emergency Response Guide Number
The emergency response guide number is used by emergency responders to reference the response required in the event of an accident.
The most common used are:
ERG # 161
ERG # 163

27. This could be tape seal, packing tape, wire seal or some other device.
Packaging
Key points…
Key Point 6
Tamper Evident Seal
Some means of allowing the receiver to know if the package may have been tampered with during transport
CDHA Photo
This could be tape seal, packing tape, wire seal or some other device.

28. Packaging Summary Category Excepted <5 Sv/hr none I White
Label Required on package
2 on opposite sides
not on sides the package rests on or will be stacked on.
minimum 100mm per side
Radiation Level at surface
use higher of surface or 1m to determine label
Transport Index at 1 m from surface
(Sv 10) or
(mSv x 100)
UN Identification
next to package label
ERG # on Package and Documents
Excepted
None outside
Warning inside with word ‘radioactive’ visible when package opened
<5 Sv/hr
none
UN 2910
ERG # 161
I White
also nuclide name/symbol or most restrictive of mixture and activity
<5 Sv/hr
none
UN 2915
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE
ERG # 163
II Yellow
also nuclide name/symbol or most restrictive of mixture, activity and transport index
5 Sv/hr to
500 Sv/hr
<1
if <0.05 can be listed as 0
UN 2915
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE
ERG # 163
III Yellow
also nuclide name/symbol or most restrictive of mixture, activity and transport index
500 Sv/hr to
2 mSv/hr
1-10
UN 2915
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE
ERG # 163

29. (placed on all four sides of the vehicle)
Packaging
Vehicle Placards
(placed on all four sides of the vehicle)
Only required for Yellow III package shipments but it is the responsibility of the shipper (sender/consignor) to provide four of them to the transport carrier each time.
Some carriers have a supply so may not request them. You should have a supply just in case if shipping Yellow III packages.

30. Packaging Special Labels
Packages may require additional labels if they belong to another dangerous goods category such as blood products (biohazard) or are liquids and require a specific package orientation.

31. Packaging Contamination Limits 4 Bq/cm2 for  and  0.4 Bq/cm2 for 
Averaged over 300 cm2
So… 4 x 300 = 1200 Bq for efficiency determinations

32. Documentation Required information
Three Copies of Shipper’s Declaration need to be prepared
One for Shipper (consignor), Carrier, Receiver (consignee)
Required information
Name & address of shipper and receiver
ID number of shipment, number of pages & date
Type & number of placards (or ‘no placards required’)

33. Documentation Required information continued
Description of Dangerous Goods in order of...
Shipping name (upper case listed in regulations)
Primary Class (Class 7)
UN Number
Special Instructions or a statement that none are needed

34. Documentation Required information continued
Quantity & units of goods
Number, name and category of package
Transport index
Emergency Response Guide number

35. Required information continued
Documentation
Required information continued
Required information continued….
A 24 hour number that technical information can be obtained without breaking the telephone connection of the caller.
Signature of Shipper

36. Documentation Required information continued
Declaration: As defined in Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations
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 labeled, and are in all respects in proper condition for transport according to applicable international and national governmental regulations.

37. The Final Package
Topics to Cover
Shippers are required to package and provide the following for each Class 7 shipment.
Tamper evident seal
Radiation warning
Packing documents
Shipping address
CDHA Photo
Package Type
UN number
Excepted or
Type A
Materials or Demonstrations
Identified Isotopes and Activity Limits
Approved Shipping Container

38. Materials or Demonstrations
Record Keeping
Topics to Cover
Requirements of Receiving Record
Date Packaged Received
Name of Supplier
Name of Shipper
Shipping Document Number
Inventory Entry
Isotope Name, Activity, Chemical Form, Lot Number.
Results of Receiving Inspection
Requirements of Shipping Record
Copy of Shippers Declaration
Materials or Demonstrations
Record Retention: Two years after the date on which the packaging occurs

39. Emergencies Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP)
..only if index number is listed in schedule 1 TDG regs
24 hour contact number during shipment
…and
unbroken contact to person calling
Reports to CNSC
(tampering, leaking, damaged, lost, stolen)
Immediate preliminary & full within 21 days

40. When in doubt call your supervisor
CDHA
We all have responsibility for safety in the workplace and saying it’s not my job doesn’t cut it when it comes to safety.
CDHA PHOTO
When in doubt call your supervisor
You will never be in trouble for asking questions or
asking for help when it comes to radiation safety.
The end.....now you can do the quiz
CDHA PHOTO

41. References
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Citing Websites. Packaging and Transport Regulations . In Acts and Regulations. Retrieved September 1, 2011 from
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. INFO Document 0426 rev1 Identifying and Opening Radioactive Packages: Ottawa: Author.
International Atomic Energy Agency. (2009). Regulations for the Safety Transport of Radioactive Material No. TS-R-1. Vienna: Author.