{"operation":"document","citation":"PHMSA Guidance, How To Handle Radioactive Materials Packages Brochure","title":"How To Handle Radioactive Materials Packages Brochure","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2006-10-01","effective_on":"2006-10-01","summary":"How To Handle Radioactive Materials Packages Brochure Document HowToRadioactive.pdf (947.79 KB) This guide teaches cargo handlers how to handle radioactive materials packages. Issued Date: Sunday, October 1, 2006","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-how-handle-radioactive-materials-packages-brochure-db28a366.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-how-handle-radioactive-materials-packages-brochure-db28a366.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-how-handle-radioactive-materials-packages-brochure-db28a366","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/training/hazmat/how-handle-radioactive-materials-packages-brochure","body":"How To Handle Radioactive Materials Packages Brochure\n\nDocument\n\n HowToRadioactive.pdf (947.79 KB)\n\n This guide teaches cargo handlers how to handle radioactive materials packages.\n\n Issued Date: Sunday, October 1, 2006\n\n<<>>\n\nHow to handle\nRadioactive\nmaterials\npackages\nA guide for cargo handlers\nU.S. Department of Transportation\nRevised September 2006\n\n<<>>\n\nCopies of this guide may be obtained from\nU.S. Department of Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nOffi ce of Hazardous Materials Initiatives\nand Training\n400 Seventh Street, S.W., PHH-50\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nhttp:// hazmat.dot.gov - click on “Training Information”\nPHH50-0089-0107\n\n<<>>\n\nHow to handle\nRadioactive materials\npackages\nA guide for\ncargo handlers\nPipeline and\nHazardous Materials\nSafety Administration\nRevised September 2006\n\n<<>>\n\nINTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK\n\n<<>>\n\nRadioactive Materials Packages\nYou can recognize many radioactive materials\npackages by their labels.\nA RADIOACTIVE WHITE-I label means practi-\ncally no radiation outside the package, while a\nRADIOACTIVE YELLOW-II label means some ra-\ndiation outside the package. The RADIOACTIVE\nYELLOW-III label is for higher radiation levels\nthan RADIOACTIVE I and II. The FISSILE white\nlabel indicates special handling instructions found\non page 9. Packages with limited quantities of\nradioactive materials do not have these labels.\n3\n\n<<>>\n\nLimited quantities of radioactive materials can be\nidentifi ed by the markings: UN2908,\nUN2909, UN2910, or UN2911. If these\npackages are to be shipped by air, they will\nhave a “Radioactive materials, Excepted\nPackage” label.\nMost radioactive materials packages contain\nradioactive drugs that are being transported to\nhospitals.\n4\n\n<<>>\n\nThe radioactive drugs are given to patients for\nthe detection and treatment of disease.\nRadioactive materials are also used by industry\nand by research laboratories.\nPackages of radioactive materials are safe to\nhandle under normal conditions. Studies show\nthat cargo handlers get very little radiation\nexposure from handling them.\n5\n\n<<>>\n\nHowever, you should always follow good work\nhabits that will prevent unnecessary exposure to\nany hazardous sources, including radiation.\nThe radiation dose you receive depends on how\nlong you stay near a radioactive materials\npackage. It also depends on how close you are\nto the package, because the radiation level drops\noff rapidly as you get farther away from the\npackage.\nTherefore, the basic rules to follow to prevent\nunnecessary radiation exposures are called the\nTIME and DISTANCE rules. They are given on the\nnext four pages.\n6\n\n<<>>\n\nTime Rule\nKeep contact time with package short\n•\n•\n•\n•\nDo not take rest periods near radioactive\nmaterials packages.\nDo not use packages as meeting places.\nDo not do time-consuming tasks, such as\npaperwork, near packages.\nHandle packages without delay when\nmoving them from one place to another.\nDo not hang around packages.\n7\n\n<<>>\n\nDo not socialize near packages.\nDo not use packages as a desk.\n8\n\n<<>>\n\n•\n•\n•\n•\nDistance Rule\nKeep packages some distance away\nfrom you and other people\nWhen moving packages a long way, use\na cart or truck that will let you leave a few\nfeet between you and the radioactive\nmaterials packages.\nPosition radioactive materials packages\nso people don’t have to stand next to them\nwhile handling other packages.\nWhen there is a convenient choice of\nlocations, store packages farthest from\nareas occupied by people.\nDo not store packages with transport\nindexes (TIs) or criticality safety indexes\n(CSIs) that add up to more than 50 in any\ngroup. Groups of such packages must be\nstored 6m (20 ft) from all other groups of\nsuch packages.\nUse a cart to keep packages some distance away\nfrom you when moving them a long way.\n9\n\n<<>>\n\nStow packages away from areas occupied by\npeople.\nDon’t place packages in the cab with the driver.\n10\n\n<<>>\n\nIn case of accidents, you can receive higher\nexposures if you do not handle the situation\nproperly. The steps you should follow if there is\nan accident are given on page 12.\n11\n\n<<>>\n\nWhat To Do In Case of an Accident\nWhere a package containing\nradioactive material may have\nbeen damaged\n1.\n2.\n3.\n4.\n5.\n6.\nStay away from the package and do\nnot touch it.\nKeep other people away from the\npackage.\nNotify your supervisor. He or she will\ncall for help.\nTell anybody who may have touched the\npackage to go to a control point to\nbe checked by radiation protection\nspecialists.\nWash your hands thoroughly if you\ntouched the package or objects near it.\nHave yourself checked by a radiation\nprotection specialist before you leave\nwork.\n12\n\n<<>>\n\nDo not clean up the area where the accident\noccurred. This must be done under the direction\nof specialists.\n13\n\n<<>>\n\nQuestions and Answers\nThe rest of this booklet contains answers to some\ncommon questions asked by cargo handlers.\n14\n\n<<>>\n\nQ\nA\nIs it safe to handle packages of\nradioactive materials?\nPackages of radioactive materials are safe\nto handle under normal conditions. The\nradiation exposure received from handling\nthese packages is not likely to cause any\nadverse health effects.\nHowever, you should still try to avoid un-\nnecessary radiation exposure by following\nthe Time-Distance rules described earlier in\nthis booklet.\nIn case of an accident, it may or may not\nbe safe to handle radioactive materials\npackages. Be sure to stay away from a\npackage that has been badly damaged or\nis leaking.\n15\n\n<<>>\n\nQ\nIs it true that everybody is\nexposed to radiation?\nA\nYes, everybody in the world receives a\nsmall amount of radiation exposure at all\ntimes. Radiation is given off constantly by\nradioactive materials all around us—in the\nground, in the walls of buildings, even in\nour own bodies. In addition, the earth is\nbombarded by radiation from the sun and\nfrom outer space, known as cosmic\nradiation.\nThe additional radiation doses cargo\nhandlers receive in a year from handling\nradioactive materials packages are gener-\nally less than the doses received from these\nnatural sources.\nFROM\nOUTER SPACE\nFROM BUILDING\nMATERIALS\nFROM INSIDE\nTHE BODY\nFROM\nTHE GROUND\nRadiation exposure from the environment.\n16\n\n<<>>\n\nQ\nA\nCan a person or food become\nradioactive from being near\npackages of radioactive material?\nYou cannot become radioactive from\nthe radiation given off from packages of\nradioactive materials. The exposure to\nradiation stops when you move away from\nthe packages.\nThe same thing is true for food. If lobsters\nare stacked next to a radioactive materials\npackage, they will not become radioactive\nand it is not dangerous to eat them.\nThe only way you can get any\nradioactivity on you is if the packaging\nfails and the radioactive material leaks\nout and comes in contact with you. If you\nthink this has happened, contact your\nsupervisor. The supervisor will arrange to\ncheck you with a radiation meter and will\nsee that any radioactive material found\nis cleaned up properly (usually with soap\nand water).\n17\n\n<<>>\n\nQ\nHow serious is leakage of\nradioactive liquid or powder from\na package if there is an accident?\nA\nThere is a chance that radioactive materi-\nals that leak from a broken package can\nbe breathed in or swallowed. Even if some\ngets into your body, however, it is not\nnecessarily dangerous. Remember that\nmost of the packages shipped contain\nradioactive drugs that are deliberately\ngiven to patients by doctors. Some\nradioactive materials are more dangerous\nthan others. However, the more dangerous\nradioactive materials are shipped\ninfrequently and must be contained in\nespecially strong packages. It is unlikely\nthat the contents will leak out, even if the\npackages are dropped or damaged.\n18\n\n<<>>\n\nGlossary\nActivity is a measure of the quantity of\nradioactivity emitted by a radioisotope and is\nused to determine the amount of radioactive\nmaterial which may be transported in various\ntypes of packagings.\nContent (indicated on the radioactive labels)\nis the identifi cation of the radioactive material\ninside the package.\nCriticality Safety Index (CSI) is a number\nwhich is used to provide control over the\naccumulation of packages, overpacks, or freight\ncontainers that contain FISSILE material.\nRadioactive materials spontaneously and\ncontinuously emit ionizing radiation, that can be\nharmful to the health of humans and animals and\ncan affect photographic or X-Ray fi lm. This radia-\ntion cannot be detected by any of the human\nsenses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste), but\nit can be detected and measured with suitable\ninstruments.\nTransport Index (TI) is a single number\nassigned to a package, overpack, or freight\ncontainer to provide control over radiation\nexposure and used to designate the spacing\nrequirements to be exercised by the\nhandler/carrier during transportation and\nstorage.\n19\n\n<<>>\n\nINTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK\n20\n\n<<>>\n\nINTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK\n21\n\n<<>>\n\nTO LEARN MORE...\nFor information about hazmat publications\nand other training materials:\nVisit our website:\nhttp://hazmat.dot.gov\nWrite:\nOffi ce of Hazardous Materials\nInitiatives and Training\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nPHH-50\nWashington, DC 20590-0001\nFax: (202) 366-7342\nEmail: training@dot.gov\nOr Phone: (202) 366-2301\nFor information about\nHazmat Regulations\nContact our Hazmat INFO-LINE\nE-mail: infocntr@dot.gov","truncated":false,"body_characters":9482}