Guide - Transportation
Technical Safety Office
Radiation Safety
Phone: 282-2311
TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Any responsible user who is planning to transport radioactive material between University buildings or to ship to another institution must first contact the TSO. Radioactive materials of any kind may be transported on public roads on or off University property only if packaged and labeled in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Radioactive materials may be shipped from the University to another organization or individual only after verification by the Technical Safety Office that all transfer, packaging, labeling and transportation requirements have been met. No Radioactive Materials may be transported in private vehicles. To assure that all requirements for shipment are met, and that appropriate records are maintained, a written authorization form and one or more check lists must be prepared by the TSO before the shipment is made. The instructions and forms for various applications are contained in ISU Radiation Safety Manual.
Table: information selected from 49 CFR and 10CFR:
Transport Index (0) / Maximum radiation level at any point on the external surface / Label Category(1)N.A - Excepted packages for limited quantities of Class 7 (radioactive) materials. / Less than 0.005 mSv/hour (0.5 mrem/ hour) (3) / Excepted(4)
0 (2) / Less than or equal to 0.005 mSv/h (0.5 mrem/h) / WHITE- I
More than 0 but not more than 1 / Greater than 0.005 mSv/h (0.5 mrem/h) but less than or equal to 0.5 mSv/h (50mrem/h) / YELLOW - II
More than 1 but not more than 10 / Greater than 0.5 mSv/h (50 mrem/h) but less or equal to 2 mSv/h (200 mrem/h) / YELLOW - III
More than 10 / Greater than 2 mSv/h (200 mrem/h) but less than 10 mSv/h (1,000 mrem/h) / YELLOW - III(Must be shipped under exclusive use provisions; see 173.441b)
(0) Transport index (TI) means the dimensionless number (rounded up to the next tenth) placed on the label of a package, to designate the degree of control to be exercised by the carrier during transportation. For non-fissile material packages, TI is the number determined by multiplying the maximum radiation level in millisievert (mSv) per hour at one meter (3.3 ft) from the external surface of the package by 100 (equivalent to the maximum radiation level in millirem per hour at one meter (3.3 ft));
(1) Any package containing a "highway route controlled quantity" (173.403) must be labeled as RADIOACTIVE YELLOW - III.
(2)If the measured TI is not greater than 0.05, the value may be considered to be zero.
(3) Do not exceed the limits specified in 49CFR§173.425
(4) The outside of the inner packaging or, if there is no inner packaging, the outside of the packaging itself bears the marking ``Radioactive''.