1. 2-6 June 2014 Panama City, Panama
Regional Workshop for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material in the Caribbean Module Review of Primer Material
2-6 June 2014 Panama City, Panama
Chris Bajwa
Transport Specialist
Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety
IAEA
Austria
Paul Gray
Vice President
External Relationships and Global Logistics
Nordion, Inc.
Canada

2. Overview Primer Material included the following:
- What are radioactive materials?
- Uses of radioactive materials
- Why transport radioactive material?
- Consequences of delay
- Regulations for transport of radioactive
material
- Package types
- Package information
- Involvement of public authorities
- Facilitating movement of radioactive material

3. What is radiation? Emission of energy or particles
Radiation is emission of electromagnetic energy (gamma) or particles (alpha, beta, neutron). 3

4. What are radioactive materials?
Presenter to expand on the following:
Materials which emit radiation are called radioactive materials
There is natural radiation background from the outer space (e.g. sun) and earth’s crust (e.g rocks).
Radioactive material could be naturally occurring substances (Granite, tobacco, some natural ores, milk, banana, beer) or
artificially produced (radiopharmaceuticals, smoke detectors, processed radioactive material).

5. Radioactive Materials – Critical to Global Economy & Health
Medical treatment, diagnostics, therapeutics and palliation (Nuclear Medicine)
Sterilization of single-use medical devices
Sterilization of consumer products
Food safety and agricultural applications
Process control
Industrial, radiography and safety applications (NDT of welds, pipelines, castings and engines)
Research and development
Nuclear Energy
Electronics components (tantalum/niobium)
Law enforcement & counterterrorism
The radioisotope sector is broad and diverse, long established, with a culture of safety and security 5

6. What is a medical isotope?

7. Like melting ice cubes…
Radioactive decay melts away the product.
But unlike ice, the decay can not be stopped.

8. Perishable products Radioactive decay: half-life
Technetium-99m: 6.0 hours
Molybdenum-99: 66 hours
Iodine-123: 13.2 hours
Yttrium-90: 64.1 hours
Thallium-201: 3.0 days

9. Importance of Radioisotopes & Sealed Sources : Medical Applications
U.N. declares that cancer is a “silent crisis” in the developing world and the need to treat cancer is rising
Cancer takes more lives than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, combined
Cobalt-60 is used for treating cancer (45,000 treatments/day in >50 countries)
Caesium -137 is used in irradiation to prevent TA-GVHD following transfusions (Over 750 units installed in 50 countries)
Brachytherapy techniques employ Iridium-192, Iodine-125, Palladium-103, Strontium-90 for novel treatment applications

10. Uses of Radioactive materials: Medical diagnosis
IAEA Training Material on Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine
Radiation protection in nuclear medicine
Uses of Radioactive materials: Medical diagnosis
Presenter to expand on the following:
Nuclear medicine imaging detects functional properties of the human tissue.
The imaging is done by tracing the distribution of “radiopharmaceuticals” within the body.
The doctor can see the insides of a patient’s body without surgery.

11. Treatment of cancer Cancer Treatment
A high activity radioactive source (cobalt-60) is used for treatment of tumours.

12. Sterilization and blood irradiation
Sterilization of medical supplies
Single use medical supplies (syringes, gloves, cotton and bandages) sterilized by radiation.
Products “irradiated” in a packaged condition. No repacking after sterilization.
Sterilized products directly sent to users - negligible chance of re-infection.
Irradiated blood used in life-saving blood transfusion reduces risk of immunological reaction in the recipient.

13. Cobalt - 60
Cobalt-60 is depended upon to sterilize some 45% of all single-use medical supplies and devices in the world : sutures, catheters, syringes, heart valves, artificial joints and an estimated 80% of all surgeons’ gloves
Cobalt-60 is also used extensively for sterilization of consumer products used in everyday life and purchased in many stores locally

14. Food preservation
Preservation of food
Enormous quantities of food grains, vegetables, spices, etc. are wasted every year due to infestation.
Wastage can be stopped by irradiation of food.
Cobalt-60 is used for food irradiation.
Products are sterilized by radiation in a packaged condition.
Sterilization of food is encouraged by WHO and used in many countries.
Cobalt-60 is increasingly relied upon to enhance food safety and preservation ; destroying e-coli, food for the immuno-compromised; packaging treatment

15. Consumer products Daily needs
Fluorescent lamps save power at low cost.
Smoke detectors provide early warnings of fires thus saving lives and property.
Many of the “Exit” signs we see in public halls operate even if there is power failure because of the radioactive material in them. (Tritium)

16. Industrial applications
Quality control
Film thickness
Paper thickness
Quality control of industrial products:
Thickness measurement
Filling level control
Other examples: motorway surfaces, dredging of river beds, etc.
Beverage filling level

17. Radioactive materials in industry – Non-destructive testing
Film
Developed film
Object
Defects in the welding and casting of metal objects can be detected without damaging the objects.
The radiation source is kept on one side of the object being tested and X-ray film on the opposite side.
“Industrial radiography” is reliable. It saves considerable cost and assures quality of product.
Incident radiation 17 17

18. Industrial radiography
Non-destructive testing of industrial products
Expand on the examples:
Testing during bridge construction
Examination of Aircraft components
Pipeline welds and valves.

19. Industrial radiography

20. 20

21. Power production Uranium is the fuel for nuclear power.
Uranium fuel is taken to the power plant.
Amount of radioactivity in fresh nuclear fuel is small.
Nuclear reactors are also used to produce radioisotopes for medical applications.
Spent fuel has much radioactivity.; has to be taken to safe disposal site.
About 15% of electricity is produced from nuclear power world-wide.

22. Delivering RAM to users
Picture of a ship
Radioactive materials are produced only in a few facilities in the world.
From they have to be carried to the user: a hospital, a factory, a power station or a home.
Some of the radioactive materials have a short useful life. They have to be rushed by air.
It is easier to move a medical product than it is to move a sick patient – so the products need to be sent to wherever the patients are. 22 22

23. The World of Medical Isotopes – Global Supply Chain
Small number of medical isotope producers in the world
Most countries are importers of medical isotopes

24. Just-in-Time Shipments
Patients and physicians depend on reliable daily delivery
To meet these demanding logistical and humanitarian requirements, producers partner with couriers and reliable commercial air carriers
Short half-lives means highly perishable and cannot be held up
Same day / next day medical procedures
Limited number of medical isotope suppliers
Most countries are importers of such materials

25. Air Transport is Critical
Air transport is essential to this daily, global supply chain
Timely arrival at airport is half the battle
Right product to right customer at right time
Reliance on air carriers at all steps in logistics process
- on time delivery to hub
- on time clearance
- on time / accuracy of sort
- on time delivery
- immediate notification of delays

26. Importance of Medical Isotopes Products - Summary
Depended upon for diagnostic, treatment, therapeutic, palliation and research purposes in medical facilities around the world
Preclude costly and painful invasive diagnostic procedures
Out-patient vs. in-patient diagnosis and treatment
Leading edge technology (e.g. MAb labeling for cancer treatment)
Solid, liquid or gaseous form
Tens of millions of procedures annually worldwide
Short half lives, small volumes
High volume of JIT shipments
Hospitals, physicians and patients reliant
Licensed facilities/users
Any denial/delay has immediate and significant impact on healthcare and patients specifically; postponement or cancellation of diagnostic tests or therapeutic treatments for patients relying on this product
Air transport primarily

27. Why transport RAM?
The transport chain

28. Implementation of IAEA Regulations through Dangerous Goods Transport Regulations Class 7UN
Class 7
International Recommendations
all 9 classes of dangerous goods
CCNR/UNECE
ICAO
IMO
OTIF
UNECE
International Modal Provisions
National Regulations/Laws for Air, Sea and Road/Rail/Waterway Transport
National Modal Provisions 28

29. Package types Package types
The quantity hazard of radioactive material permitted in a package determine the type of the package!
If a package has to carry large quantities of radioactive material, it needs to be approved by the concerned competent authority.
Explain different types of packages ranging from excepted package to Type B(U)/(M) package.

30. Package types

31. Transport documentation
The documentation which accompanies the package provides comprehensive details including
Particulars of the shipment
Approvals
Consignor / consignee address
Special handling instructions
Emergency actions
Consignor’s declaration
Any other documents such as insurance papers as necessary

32. Public authorities Customs, Security, Port Authorities etc.
In addition to the competent authority for transport of radioactive material, other public authorities, may have responsibilities in connection with shipments of radioactive material e.g., Port Authorities, Civil Aviation Authorities, Customs and security agencies.
Close coordination among the various public authorities including the competent authority for transport of radioactive material would ensure safe and efficient shipment in the interest of the public.

33. Instances of delay / denial
In some cases radioactive shipments which comply with the international transport regulations, are reported to have been delayed / denied. The reported reasons include:
There were additional requirements for handling radioactive cargo.
The ports were in nuclear free zones! (Common radioisotopes used for healthcare and industrial applications are not nuclear materials.).
A port would refuse to receive the vessel if radioactive material on board the ship was intended for use in the some other country.
A port would not allow a ship in its waters even if the radioactive material on the board the ship was intended for use in its country!
Ships carrying radioactive material would be allowed berthing in a port only if they arrive during daylight hours!
Ships carrying radioactive material were accorded a low priority in a port.
The competent authority for transport of radioactive material of a State considered that a shipment was safe but a port authority official of the same State refused the shipment because he thought it was not safe!
Lack of harmonization between national and international regulations
Lack of appropriate training on safe transport of radioactive materials

34. What you can do to facilitate safe movement of radioactive material
In case additional restrictions are proposed to be placed on transport of radioactive material,
examine how the objective could be achieved without denying the society the benefits from radioactive materials.
Coordinate with other authorities in your State.
Inform the other authorities and carriers in advance about deviations of your regulations and procedures from international practice.
Minimise such deviations from international regulations.
Coordinate – Cooperate - Minimize deviation

35. Summary Isotopes have to be transported to the users.
Isotopes are used for health care, industry quality control, power production, etc.
Regulations assure safety of transport.
Delay or denial of a shipment result in
patients denied treatment;
stop a factory or a nuclear power plant; or
deny mankind of a safe product that would enhance the quality of life!

36. Questions?
Thank you