Re: Limited Quantity Question

["Norman Randy" <rnorman@smtplink.microbio.com>]

     I'm afraid you're missing nothing! Nobody said regulations had to make 
     sense. It's obvious that the only way the transporter and responders 
     could tell that radioactive materials were involved is if the inner 
     package and it's required "Radioactive" marking become visible. 
     
     My guess is that they figure the quantities are small enough that 
     folks needn't worry unless the situation is such that one gets close 
     enough to see the "radioactive" marking on the inner package 
     (173.421(a)(4)). That is, it's not enough to worry about knowing of if 
     you have to meet with the HazMat team before going in (and can be 
     safely dealt with upon unexpected discovery), and generally not a 
     problem unless the outer package comes open in a manner that reveals 
     the "Radioactive" marking. Plus I expect they'd never let it reach the 
     point where they didn't require one to deal with known contamination, 
     even when the potential magnitude of said contamination is small.
     
     Just some thoughts. I suppose it's rather dangerous to try to read the 
     regulators' minds, but...
     
     Randy Norman
     Safety Manager & RSO
     MA BioServices, Inc.
     Rockville, MD
     
     My own considered opinions and not necessarily those of my employer.