Multi-Modality Concept for Radioactive Material Transport: Reality or Fiction

The transport of dangerous goods in general and radioactive material in particular is an activity often undertaken by organizations operating in international networks. By the very nature of the materials, safety during transport benefits from an internationally agreed set of standards. In recognition of these facts the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 1959 charged the International Atomic Energy Agency with the task of establishing recommendations relating to the safe transport of radioactive material. The first edition of the IAEA's Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (IAEA, 1961-1990), hereafter called the RegulaJions, was published in 1961 and many comprehensively revised editions and amended versions have followed since. The publication of the next edition of the Regulations is scheduled for 1996. A full summary of the publication scheme of the IAEA Regulations and their supporting documents is presented in Table 1 The IAEA Regulations serve as the regulatory basis for all international mode-specific transport agreements as outlined in Table 2. Either through those modal agreements or by direct incorporation or referencing, it is ensured that the IAEA Regulations are implemented worldwide in essentially the same way. The initial concept of the IAEA Regulations envisaged that they would not only be applied uniformly throughout the world but also that they would be multi-modal, i.e., that they would be basically independent of the mode of transport or the particular conveyance carrying the radioactive material. In general, the IAEA has maintained the multi-modal nature of its Regulations. However, the Regulations themselves (in paragraph 109) make an allowance for slight national variations solely for domestic purposes and thus recognize the need to take account of the specific circumstances prevailing in a particular mode of transport by including some modespecific provisions.