Industry-Wide Effects of New Transportation Regulations on the Shipment of LSA Material From Nuclear Facilities

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently proposing to essentially adopt the most recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Series No.6 regulations for determining transportation classification. In addition, NRC is proposing to increase its threshold of control from greater than Type A to 2xA1 for LSA material. At the same time, the NRC is proposing to increase packaging requirements for LSA material under its control. Assuming adoption of IAEA standards, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will establish an upper limit for LSA material. Under current regulations, LSA material is defined solely in terms of specific activity with no upper limit on the total activity per package. Under new regulations, LSA is still defined in terms of specific activity; however, an upper limit has also been established based on an external radiation level of 1 R/Hr at three meters without intervening shielding. Material that exceeds this 1 R/ hr at 3 meters may no longer be shipped as LSA . Adoption of IAEA standards will increase packaging requirements for LSA material by requiring the use of Industrial Packages (IP-1, 2 and 3).