Definitions.

For purposes of this subpart—

A1 means the maximum activity of special form Class 7 (radioactive) material permitted in a Type A package.

A2 means the maximum activity of Class 7 (radioactive) material, other than special form, LSA or SCO, permitted in a Type A package. These values are either listed in § 173.435 or derived in accordance with the procedure prescribed in § 173.433.

Class 7 (radioactive) material. See the definition of Radioactive material in this section.

Closed transport vehicle means a transport vehicle or conveyance equipped with a securely attached exterior enclosure that during normal transportation restricts the access of unauthorized persons to the cargo space containing the Class 7 (radioactive) materials. The enclosure may be either temporary or permanent, and in the case of packaged materials may be of the “see-through” type, and must limit access from top, sides, and bottom.

Containment system means the assembly of components of the packaging intended to retain the radioactive contents during transportation.

Conveyance means:

(1) For transport by public highway or rail: any transport vehicle or large freight container;

(2) For transport by water: any vessel, or any hold, compartment, or defined deck area of a vessel including any transport vehicle on board the vessel; and

(3) For transport by aircraft, any aircraft.

Design means the description of a special form Class 7 (radioactive) material, a package, packaging, or LSA-III, that enables those items to be fully identified. The description may include specifications, engineering drawings, reports showing compliance with regulatory requirements, and other relevant documentation.

Exclusive use (also referred to in other regulations as “sole use” or “full load”) means sole use by a single consignor of a conveyance for which all initial, intermediate, and final loading and unloading are carried out in accordance with the direction of the consignor or consignee. The consignor and the carrier must ensure that any loading or unloading is performed by personnel having radiological training and resources appropriate for safe handling of the consignment. The consignor must issue specific instructions in writing, for maintenance of exclusive use shipment controls, and include them with the shipping paper information provided to the carrier by the consignor.

Fissile material means plutonium-238, plutonium-239, plutonium-241, uranium-233, uranium-235, or any combination of these radionuclides. The definition does not apply to unirradiated natural uranium and depleted uranium, and natural uranium or depleted uranium that has been irradiated in a thermal reactor. Certain additional exceptions are provided in § 173.453.

Fissile material, controlled shipment means any shipment that contains one or more packages that have been assigned, in accordance with § 173.457, nuclear criticality control transport indices greater than 10.

Freight container means a reusable container having a volume of 1.81 cubic meters (64 cubic feet) or more, designed and constructed to permit its being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages in unit form during transportation. A “small freight container” is one which has either one outer dimension less than 1.5 m (4.9 feet) or an internal volume of not more than 3.0 cubic meters (106 cubic feet). All other freight containers are designated as “large freight containers.”

Highway route controlled quantity means a quantity within a single package which exceeds:

(1) 3,000 times the A1 value of the radionuclides as specified in § 173.435 for special form Class 7 (radioactive) material;

(2) 3,000 times the A2 value of the radionuclides as specified in § 173.435 for normal form Class 7 (radioactive) material; or

(3) 1,000 TBq (27,000 Ci), whichever is least.

Limited quantity of Class 7 (radioactive) material means a quantity of Class 7 (radioactive) material not exceeding the materials package limits specified in § 173.425 and conforming with requirements specified in § 173.421.

Low Specific Activity (LSA) material means Class 7 (radioactive) material with limited specific activity which satisfies the descriptions and limits set forth below. Shielding materials surrounding the LSA material may not be considered in determining the estimated average specific activity of the package contents. LSA material must be in one of three groups:

(1) LSA-I.

(i) Ores containing only naturally occurring radionuclides (e.g., uranium, thorium) and uranium or thorium concentrates of such ores; or

(ii) Solid unirradiated natural uranium or depleted uranium or natural thorium or their solid or liquid compounds or mixtures; or

(iii) Class 7 (radioactive) material, other than fissile material, for which the A2 value is unlimited; or

(iv) Mill tailings, contaminated earth, concrete, rubble, other debris, and activated material in which the Class 7 (radioactive) material is essentially uniformly distributed and the average specific activity does not exceed 10− 6A2/g.

(2) LSA-II.

(i) Water with tritium concentration up to 0.8 TBq/L (20.0 Ci/liter); or

(ii) Material in which the Class 7 (radioactive) material is distributed throughout and the average specific activity does not exceed 10− 4A2/g for solids and gases, and 10− 5A2/g for liquids.

(3) LSA-III. Solids (e.g., consolidated wastes, activated materials) that meet the requirements of § 173.468 and which:

(i) The Class 7 (radioactive) material is distributed throughout a solid or a collection of solid objects, or is essentially uniformly distributed in a solid compact binding agent (such as concrete, bitumen, ceramic, etc.); and

(ii) The Class 7 (radioactive) material is relatively insoluble, or it is intrinsically contained in a relatively insoluble material, so that, even under loss of packaging, the loss of Class 7 (radioactive) material per package by leaching when placed in water for seven days would not exceed 0.1 A2; and

(iii) The average specific activity of the solid does not exceed 2×10− 3A2/g.

Low toxicity alpha emitters are:

(1) Natural uranium, depleted uranium, and natural thorium;

(2) Ores, concentrates or tailings containing uranium-235, uranium-238, thorium-232, thorium-228 and thorium-230; or

(3) Alpha emitters with a half-life of less than 10 days.

Maximum normal operating pressure means the maximum gauge pressure that would develop in a receptacle in a period of one year, in the absence of venting or cooling, under the heat conditions specified in 10 CFR 71.71(c)(1).

Multilateral approval means approval of a package or shipment by the relevant competent authority of the country of origin and of each country through or into which the package or shipment is to be transported. This definition does not include approval from a country over which Class 7 (radioactive) materials are carried in aircraft, if there is no scheduled stop in that country.

Natural thorium means thorium with the naturally occurring distribution of thorium isotopes (essentially 100 percent by weight of thorium-232).

Non-fixed radioactive contamination means radioactive contamination that can be readily removed from a surface by wiping with an absorbent material. Non-fixed (removable) radioactive contamination is not significant if it does not exceed the limits specified in § 173.443.

Normal form Class 7 (radioactive) material means Class 7 (radioactive) material which has not been demonstrated to qualify as “special form Class 7 (radioactive) material.”

Package means, for Class 7 (radioactive) materials, the packaging together with its radioactive contents as presented for transport.

(1) “Excepted package” means a packaging together with its excepted Class 7 (radioactive) materials as specified in §§ 173.421-173.426 and 173.428.

(2) “Type A package” means a packaging that, together with its radioactive contents limited to A1 or A2 as appropriate, meets the requirements of §§ 173.410 and 173.412 and is designed to retain the integrity of containment and shielding required by this part under normal conditions of transport as demonstrated by the tests set forth in § 173.465 or § 173.466, as appropriate. A Type A package does not require Competent Authority Approval.

(3) “Type B package” means a Type B packaging that, together with its radioactive contents, is designed to retain the integrity of containment and shielding required by this part when subjected to the normal conditions of transport and hypothetical accident test conditions set forth in 10 CFR part 71.

(i) “Type B(U) package” means a Type B packaging that, together with its radioactive contents, for international shipments requires unilateral approval only of the package design and of any stowage provisions that may be necessary for heat dissipation.

(ii) “Type B(M) package” means a Type B packaging, together with its radioactive contents, that for international shipments requires multilateral approval of the package design, and may require approval of the conditions of shipment. Type B(M) packages are those Type B package designs which have a maximum normal operating pressure of more than 700 kilopascals per square centimeter (100 pounds per square inch) gauge or a relief device which would allow the release of Class 7 (radioactive) material to the environment under the hypothetical accident conditions specified in 10 CFR part 71.

(4) “Industrial package” means a packaging that, together with its low specific activity (LSA) material or surface contaminated object (SCO) contents, meets the requirements of §§ 173.410 and 173.411. Industrial packages are categorized in § 173.411 as either:

(i) “Industrial package Type 1 (IP-1)”;

(ii) “Industrial package Type 2 (IP-2)”; or

(iii) “Industrial package Type 3 (IP-3)”.

Packaging means, for Class 7 (radioactive) materials, the assembly of components necessary to ensure compliance with the packaging requirements of this subpart. It may consist of one or more receptacles, absorbent materials, spacing structures, thermal insulation, radiation shielding, service equipment for filling, emptying, venting and pressure relief, and devices for cooling or absorbing mechanical shocks. The conveyance, tie-down system, and auxiliary equipment may sometimes be designated as part of the packaging.

Radiation level means the radiation dose-equivalent rate expressed in millisievert(s) per hour or mSv/h (millirem(s) per hour or mrem/h). Neutron flux densities may be converted into radiation levels according to table 1:

Table 1—Neutron Fluence Rates To Be Regarded as Equivalent to a Radiation Level of 0.01 mSv/h (1 mrem/h) 1 Energy of neutron Flux density equivalent to 0.01 mSv/h (1 mrem/h) neutrons per square centimeter per second (n/cm2/s) Thermal (2.510E-8)MeV 272.0 1 keV 272.0 10 keV 281.0 100 keV 47.0 500 keV 11.0 1 MeV 7.5 5 MeV 6.4 10 MeV 6.7 1 Flux densities equivalent for energies between those listed in this table may be obtained by linear interpolation.

Radioactive contents means a Class 7 (radioactive) material, together with any contaminated liquids or gases within the package.

Radioactive instrument or article means any manufactured instrument or article such as an instrument, clock, electronic tube or apparatus, or similar instrument or article having Class 7 (radioactive) material in gaseous or non-dispersible solid form as a component part.

Radioactive material means any material having a specific activity greater than 70 Bq per gram (0.002 microcurie per gram) (see definition of “specific activity”).

Special form Class 7 (radioactive) material means Class 7 (radioactive) material which satisfies the following conditions:

(1) It is either a single solid piece or is contained in a sealed capsule that can be opened only by destroying the capsule;

(2) The piece or capsule has at least one dimension not less than 5 mm (0.2 inch); and

(3) It satisfies the test requirements of § 173.469. Special form encapsulations designed in accordance with the requirements of § 173.389(g) in effect on June 30, 1983 (see 49 CFR part 173, revised as of October 1, 1982), and constructed prior to July 1, 1985 and special form encapsulations designed in accordance with the requirements of § 173.403 in effect on March 31, 1996 (see 49 CFR part 173, revised as of October 1, 1995), and constructed prior to April 1, 1997, may continue to be used. Any other special form encapsulation must meet the requirements of this paragraph.

Specific activity of a radionuclide means the activity of the radionuclide per unit mass of that nuclide. The specific activity of a material in which the radionuclide is essentially uniformly distributed is the activity per unit mass of the material.

Surface Contaminated Object (SCO) means a solid object which is not itself radioactive but which has Class 7 (radioactive) material distributed on any of its surfaces. SCO must be in one of two groups with surface activity not exceeding the following limits:

(1) SCO-I: A solid object on which:

(i) The non-fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4 Bq/cm2 (10−4 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 0.4 Bq/cm2 (10−5 microcurie/cm2) for alpha emitters;

(ii) The fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4 × 104 Bq/cm2 (1.0 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4 × 103 Bq/cm2 (0.1 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters; and

(iii) The non-fixed contamination plus the fixed contamination on the inaccessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 4 × 104 Bq/cm2 (1 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4 × 103 Bq/cm2 (0.1 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

(2) SCO-II: A solid object on which the limits for SCO-I are exceeded and on which:

(i) The non-fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 400 Bq/cm2 (10−2 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters or 40 Bq/cm2 (10−3 microcurie/cm2) for all other alpha emitters;

(ii) The fixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 8 × 105 Bq/cm2 (20 microcurie/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8 × 104 Bq/cm2 (2 microcuries/cm2) for all other alpha emitters; and

(iii) The non-fixed contamination plus the fixed contamination on the inaccessible surface averaged over 300 cm2 (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm2) does not exceed 8 × 105 Bq/cm2 (20 microcuries/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8 × 104 Bq/cm2 (2 microcuries/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

Transport index (TI) means the dimensionless number (rounded up to the next tenth) placed on the label of a package to designate the degree of control to be exercised by the carrier during transportation. The transport index is determined as follows:

(1) For nonfissile material packages, the number determined by multiplying the maximum radiation level in milliSievert(s) per hour at 1 m (3.3 feet) from the external surface of the package by 100 (equivalent to the maximum radiation level in millirem per hour at 1 m (3.3 feet)); or

(2) For fissile material packages, the number determined by multiplying the maximum radiation level in milliSievert per hour at 1 m (3.3 feet) from any external surface of the package by 100 (equivalent to the maximum radiation level in millirem per hour at 1 m (3.3 feet)) or, for criticality control purposes, the number obtained by dividing 50 by the allowable number of packages which may be transported together, whichever number is larger.

Type A quantity means a quantity of Class 7 (radioactive) material, the aggregate radioactivity which does not exceed A1 for special form Class 7 (radioactive) material or A2 for normal form Class 7 (radioactive) material, where A1 and A2 values are given in § 173.435 or are determined in accordance with § 173.433.

Type B quantity means a quantity of material greater than a Type A quantity.

Unilateral approval means approval of a package solely by the competent authority of the country of origin.

Unirradiated thorium means thorium containing not more than 10−7 grams uranium-233 per gram of thorium-232.

Unirradiated uranium means uranium containing not more than 10−6 grams plutonium per gram of uranium-235 and a fission product activity of not more than 9 MBq (0.24 millicuries) of fission products per gram of uranium-235.

Uranium—natural, depleted or enriched means the following:

(1) “Natural uranium” means uranium with the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes (approximately 0.711 weight percent uranium-235, and the remainder essentially uranium-238).

(2) “Depleted uranium” means uranium containing less uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

(3) “Enriched uranium” means uranium containing more uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

[Amdt. 173-244, 60 FR 50307, Sept. 28, 1995, as amended by Amdt. 173-244, 61 FR 20750, May 8, 1996; 63 FR 52849, Oct. 1, 1998; 65 FR 58630, Sept. 29, 2000; 66 FR 45380, 45383, Aug. 28, 2001]