Figure 1: LLRW Truck Signage
Audeen W. Fentiman
P. Andrew Karam
Ronald B. Meyers.
Commercial low-level radioactive waste is generated by nuclear power plants, industries, medical institutions, research institutions, and non-atomic weapons related government facilities. The low-level waste must be transported to a licensed facility for disposal. Often, low-level waste must be treated before it is sent to the disposal facility. Sometimes the waste can be treated at the site where it was generated. Sometimes it must be transported to a specialized facility for treatment prior to disposal.
Over the past 20 years, low-level radioactive waste from states in the Midwest Compact has been transported to treatment facilities and disposal facilities outside of Ohio. When a low-level waste disposal facility is opened in Ohio, waste from generators in the six states of the Midwest Compact will be transported to it. This fact sheets addresses five questions commonly asked about the transportation of low-level waste:
How a truck carrying low-level radioactive waste is labeled depends on the contents of the packages on the truck. The contents of each package are indicated by the label on the package. Four types of package labels are used: "Radioactive LSA", "White 1", "Yellow 2," and "Yellow 3." LSA stands for low specific activity. Low specific activity material contains essentially uniformly distributed radioactive material with a concentration below limits specified in Title 49, Part 173.403, of the Code of Federal Regulations. Packages containing LSA material are labeled "Radioactive - LSA."
A package of low-level waste that does not contain low specific activity material must carry a diamond shaped label with the radiation symbol. The diamond shaped label can be white and have "Radioactive - 1" written across the middle, or yellow and have "Radioactive - 2" or "Radioactive - 3" written across the middle. The higher the number, the higher the concentration of radioactive material in the package of waste. In each case the package's hazard classification is at the bottom of the diamond. For radioactive materials, the Department of Transportation hazard classification is the number 7. (Other examples of hazard classifications are Class 3, flammable liquids, and Class 8, corrosive material.)
If a truck carries any packages with the "Yellow 3" label or if it carries only low specific activity waste packages from one generator, the outside of the truck must have a diamond placard with the radiation symbol. The radiation symbol will be on the top half of the placard, the word RADIOACTIVE will be printed across the center of the diamond, and the hazard classification number "7" will be at the bottom. (See Figure 1.) Otherwise, the truck is not required to have a placard.
Figure 1: LLRW Truck Signage
Ohio's low-level radioactive waste disposal facility is limited by state law to a capacity of 2.25 million cubic feet. If the facility is assumed to operate for the maximum period of 20 years, the rate at which trucks will arrive at the facility can be estimated. Assuming that the average truck will carry around 600 cubic feet of waste, 3,750 truck loads would be required to fill Ohio's facility to capacity (2,250,000 cubic feet). Spread out evenly over 20 years, this would be about 188 shipments per year, or one truck every other day.
The radiation dose from shipments of any radioactive material is regulated by both the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Regulations require that the amount of radiation emitted from any package containing radioactive material be measured when the material is packed. The radiation being emitted from any vehicle containing radioactive material must be measured on all sides, including the top and bottom of the trailer, before the truck can be allowed on the road.
No point on the outside surface of the vehicle may read more than 200 millirem per hour (mrem/hr). At 2 meters (about 6 1/2 feet) from the side of the truck, radiation levels must be 10 mrem/hr or less. At the maximum radiation levels allowed, a driver following 30 feet (about two car lengths) behind a truck will have a dose rate of less than one half mrem/hr (0.46 mrem/hr). Cars trailing at a distance of 90 feet (about half of the distance recommended when traveling at highway speeds) will receive a dose rate of one twentieth of a mrem/hr (0.052 mrem/hr). Passing a truck with the maximum allowed radiation levels at a distance of 10 feet (the width of one traffic lane) will give a dose rate of 4.2 mrem/hr. Doses motorists, pedestrians, or people in their yards would receive from the truck under various situations are illustrated in Figure 2. For comparison, Table 1 lists doses from other activities such as flying or getting a chest x-ray.
Figure 2. Examples of radiation dose rates from a passing
truck carrying low-level radioactive waste
| Table 1. Radiation doses from typical activities | |
|---|---|
| Activity | Dose |
| Flying for 5 hours | 1-5 mrem per flight |
| Eating one banana per day | 4-5 mrem per year |
| Smoking one pack of cigarettes per day | 2000-5000 mrem per year to lungs (estimated) |
| Living in Denver (one mile up) | 70 mrem per year |
| Having an x-ray | 10-100 mrem per exposure |
| Using comsumer products (smoke detectors, lantern mantels, etc.) | 11 mrem per year |
| Using natural gas appliances | 0.3 mrem per year |
| Living or working in building using certain building materails (stone, brick, etc.) | 3.5 mrem per year |
Waste packaging must meet several standards intended to minimize the chance that radioactive material will be released in the event of a traffic accident. All waste must be in a stable physical and chemical form. This minimizes the likelihood that the waste may corrode the container or be spread around if the container is broken. Liquid waste being shipped to a treatment facility must be in special containers designed to prevent the liquid from running off or soaking into the ground following an accident. Low-level waste may not be shipped to a disposal facility in liquid form. More details on waste packaging can be found in fact sheet RER-41.
Between the years of 1971 and 1991, approximately 40 million shipments of radioactive materials were made in the United States. Of those shipments, a small fraction contained low-level radioactive waste. During this time, 53 accidents involved vehicles transporting low-level waste. Four of those accidents resulted in the release of radioactive material. None resulted in injuries or deaths due to the release of radioactive material.
The transportation of low-level radioactive waste is governed by several regulations including Title 10, Part 71, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10CFR71), issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and 49CFR172 and 49CFR173, issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Some topics covered in the regulations include the type of container used, the amount of radioactive material allowed in a package, the level of radiation emitted from the package, and the amount of radioactive contamination on the outside of the package.
All packages must be measured for radiation levels and checked for external radioactive contamination prior to shipment and upon receipt at their destination. The receipt inspection is to ensure that the packages were not damaged during shipment and that the shipper accurately measured and recorded all required information.
Several federal and state agencies cooperate to enforce the regulations. They include the U.S. and Ohio Departments of Transportation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Radiation Protection Bureau of the Ohio Department of Health, and the Ohio Highway Patrol.
If you would like to read more about the transportation of low-level radioactive waste, some of the documents listed below may be helpful.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 71, "Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials."
U.S. Department of Transportation, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 172, "Hazardous Materials Table, Special Provisions, Hazardous Materials Communication Requirements and Emergency Response Information Requirements."
U.S. Department of Transportation, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 173, "Shippers - General Requirements for Shipments and Packaging."
Other fact sheets in this series:
RER-25, "What Are the Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation?"
RER-41, "How is Radioactive Waste Transported?"
Dr. Audeen W. Fentiman is an Associate Professor in Nuclear Engineering at The Ohio State University. P. Andrew Karam is a Certified Health Physicist and a Graduate Research Associate in Geology. Ronald B. Meyers is a Graduate Research Associate, Ohio State University Extension.
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868