Los Alamos National Laboratory — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

Page 1U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 .APR ? 1 2011 Mr. Donald Thorp Engineering Manager Los Alamos National Laboratory P.O. Box 1663, MS A194 Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 Ref. No.: 11-0038 Dear Mr. Thorp: This responds to your February 15, 2011 letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you ask if any ofthe general packaging requirements in § 173.24 apply to a consignment containing radionuclides in quantities that do not exceed both the activity concentration and the total activity limits specified in the table in § 173.436 or the values derived according to the instruction in § 173.433. The answer is no. Radioactive Material (see § 173.403) means any material containing radionuclides where both the activity concentration and the total activity in the consignment exceed the values specified in the table in § 173.436 or values derived according to the instructions in § 173.433. Based on the information you provide, the consignment is not regulated as a Class 7 (radioactive) material under the HMR because it does not meet the definition ofradioactive material. Therefore, provided the material contained in the consignment does not otherwise meet the definition of a hazardous material in § 171.8, the packaging used for the consignment described in your letter is not subject to the HMR (including § 173.24). I trust this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance. Sincerely, 11 'f I,;;~ Ben Supko Acting Chief, Standards Development Branch Standards and Rulemaking Division#

Page 2hihen/tttli; A ~/73. ~33 .LosAlamos ~/73· '2t./ NATIONAL LABORATORY ~ 173 t ~30 ---EST.1943 --­ jfA-1IA Packaging and Transportation /1- t){}J$ P.O. Box 1663, MS A194 Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 Date: February 15; 2011 (505) 66S-8628fFax (505) 667-9829 Refer To: P&T: ll-008 Ml'. Charles E. Betts Director, Office of Hazardous Materials Standards U.S. DOTIPHMSA (PHH-lO) 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE East Building, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20590 Subject: REQUEST FOR INTERPRETATION, 49CFR 173.433 AND § 173.24 Dear Mr. Betts: This cOlTespondence was initiated by a non-conformance receipt inspection of a shipment of low level waste at the Energy Solutions LLC waste facility at Clive, Utah in November 2010. lIthe radlonuclicles in a consignment do not exceed both the activity concentration and the tofal activity limits specified in the table in 49 CFR 173.436 or the values derived according to the instructions in 49 CFR 173.433 are any ofthe general requirements for packagings and packages specified in 49 CFR 173,24 applicable? Thank yOlt for your consideration of th is question and the time and effort your organization takes to provide a response. I look forward to your formal clarification which can be sent to me at dUhorp@lanl.gov. Please contact me at 505-665-2713 if you have questions. Sincerely, Donald Thorp Engineeting Manager Operations SupportlPackaging and TransPQltation DT/pjt cy: Gilbert Torres,OS-PT, gtorres@1anl.gov IRM-RMMSO, AlSO Jose Chavez, OS-PT,chavezjose@lanl.gov OS-PT RecOl'ds, A194 James Angelo, OS-PT, jangelo @lan1.gov Tamer Armin, WDP-HMWO, tamer@lanl.gov Robert Murpby, LASQ-SO, rmurphy@lanl.gov#