Shipping Question

["Roy A. Parker" <70472.711@compuserve.com>]

Keith,
 
1. The mass  of the  disc may not be used to determine the applicability
   for the 0.002 uCi/g definition of radioactive material.
 
2. The source  will be  "fissile  excepted"  which  is  now  the  proper
   terminology; and  that means  it  may  be  classified  as  any  other
   radioactive material.
 
3. That in  turn means  that it  may be easily be shipped as Radioactive
   Material, Excepted Package - Limited Quantity of Material, UN2910.
 
Roy A. Parker, Ph.D.
Radiation Physics Consultant to
Federal Express Corporation
E-Mail: 70472.711@compuserve.com
Tel: 225-924-1473
Fax: 225-924-4269
-------------( Forwarded computer archived letter follows )-------------
    20-Aug-98 10:45 CDT
From: Keith Welch <welch@jlab.org>
Subject: Shipping question
 
Group,
 
Several questions regarding shipping very small quantity of U234/U235.
I have a small electroplated disc source with about 50 pCi activity.  I
don't know the enrichment or ratio of isotopes.  The disc weighs about
3g.  I don't know the mass of the actual material deposition.  Now...
 
1. 49CFR says if it's less than .002 uCi/g it's not RAM.  Am I allowed
to use the total weight of the disc?  The rule says it has to be
"essentially uniformly distributed" in the material.  Does this
configuration qualify for uniformly distributed?  AND...
 
2.  The definition of fissile material is not based on a quantity.  So
by definition if there is ANY U235 in it, it would appear to be fissile.
However, there are excepted quantities (15 grams seems to apply here).
Now, this appears to give me no choice but to call it either fissile or
fissile exempt.
 
So:  Which definition drives the classification of the material?
Assuming I can say it's uniformly distributed, do I claim it's not RAM,
and stop there? or do I still have to consider the fact that it contains
U235 and call it fissile exempt since there seems to be no "deminimus"
exclusion that lets you say it's not RAM if it contains U235.
 
Stated briefly: Can something be below the threshold for classifying as
RAM, yet still have to be classed as fissile exempt?
 
 
Keith Welch
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Newport News VA
welch@cebaf.gov
Ph: (757)269-7212
FAX:(757)269-5048
 

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