Suggestions for Improvement of the IAEA Radioactive Materials Transport Regulations

The IAEA radioactive material transport regulations (IAEA, 1990) progressively took form between 1960 and 1985 as the result of a series of revisions, the most important of which occurred in 1967, 1972 and 1985. The arrangements were thus modified during the course of time to adapt 10 changes in the ICRP recommendations. and requirements resulting from the introduction of new types and new IIansport processes. The current regulations are thus the result of a mixed bag of successive provisions, some of which are relatively old and need 10 be brought up to date, improved and revised. This study covers three main subjects: the applicability of the regulations, and determination of exclusion or application levels, a better qualification of the risk by means of labelling and marking packages and establishing of a solid basis for the derivation of surface contamination limits. For reasons of presentation only the first point will be developed in this paper.