Using Computer Technology to Identify the Appropriate Radioactive Materials Packaging

The Radioactive Materials Packaging (RAMPAC) database is designed to store and retrieve information on all nonclassified packages certified for the transport of radioactive materials within the boundaries of the United States. The information in RAMPAC is publicly available, and the database has been designed so that individuals without programming experience can search for and retrieve information using a menu-driven system. RAMPAC currently contains information on over 650 radioactive material shipping packages. Information is gathered from the u.s. Department of Energy (DOE), the u.s. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the u.s. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). RAMPAC is the only tool available to radioactive material shippers that contains and reports packaging information from all three Federal Agencies. The DOT information includes package listings from Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan, which have DOT revalidations for their certificates of competent authority and are authorized for use within the United States for import and export shipments only.