Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEM
Title 180 - CONTROL OF RADIATION
Chapter 13 - TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Section 180-13-002 - DEFINITIONS

Universal Citation: 180 NE Admin Rules and Regs ch 13 ยง 002

Current through September 17, 2024

As used in 180 NAC 13, the following definitions apply:

002.01 CERTIFICATE HOLDER. A person who has been issued a certificate of compliance or other package approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

002.02 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE COC. A certificate issued by the (NRC) under 10 CFR 71 Subpart D which approves the design of a package for the transportation of radioactive material.

002.03 CLOSE REFLECTION BY WATER. Immediate contact by water of sufficient thickness for maximum neutron reflection.

002.04 CLOSED TRANSPORT VEHICLE. A transport vehicle equipped with a securely attached exterior enclosure that during normal transportation restricts the access of unauthorized persons to the cargo space containing the radioactive material. The enclosure may be either temporary or permanent but must limit access from top, sides, and ends. In the case of packaged materials, it may be of the "see-through" type.

002.05 CONSIGNMENT. The shipment of a package, groups of packages, or load of radioactive material offered by a shipper for transport.

002.06 CONTAMINATION. The presence of a radioactive substance on a surface in quantities in excess of 0.4 becquerel (Bq)/cm2 (1x10-5 microcurie (µCi)/cm2)for beta and gamma emitters and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 0.04 Bq/cm2 (1x10-6 µCi/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

(A) Fixed contamination means contamination that cannot be removed from a surface during normal conditions of transport.

(B) Non-fixed contamination means contamination that can be removed from a surface during normal conditions of transport.

002.07 CONTAINMENT SYSTEM. The assembly of packaging components intended to retain the radioactive material during transport.

002.08 CONVEYANCE. Conveyance means any of the following:

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

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

(C) For transport by aircraft any aircraft.

002.09 CRITICALITY SAFETY INDEX (CSI). The dimensionless number, rounded up to the next tenth, assigned to and placed on the label of a fissile material package, to designate the degree of control of accumulation of packages, overpacks or freight containers containing fissile material during transportation. Determination of the criticality safety index is described in 180 NAC 13-011 and 13-012, and 10 CFR 71.59. The criticality safety index for an overpack, freight container, consignment or conveyance containing fissile material packages is the arithmetic sum of the criticality safety indices of all the fissile material packages contained within the overpack, freight container, consignment or conveyance.

002.10 DEUTERIUM. For the purposes of 180 NAC 13-004.04 and 13-011, deuterium and any deuterium compounds, including heavy water, where the ratio of deuterium atoms to hydrogen atoms exceeds 1:5000.

002.11 DOT. DOT means the U.S. Department of Transportation.

002.12 EXCLUSIVE USE. The sole use of a conveyance by a single consignor for which all initial, intermediate, and final loading and unloading are carried out according to the direction of the consignor or consignee. The consignor and the carrier must ensure any loading or unloading 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.

002.13 FISSILE MATERIAL. Plutonium-239, plutonium-241, uranium-233, uranium-235, or any combination of these radionuclides is fissile material. Fissile material means the fissile nuclides themselves, not material containing fissile nuclides. Unirradiated natural uranium and depleted uranium and natural uranium or depleted uranium that has been irradiated in thermal reactors only, are not included in this definition. Department jurisdiction extends only to "special nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass" as defined in 180 NAC 1-002. Exclusions from fissile material control are provided in 180 NAC 13-004.04.

002.14 GRAPHITE. For the purposes of 180 NAC 13-004.04 and 13-011, graphite means graphite with a boron equivalent content less than 5 parts per million and density greater than 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

002.15 HIGHWAY ROUTE CONTROLLED QUANTITY. The quantity within a single package that exceeds:

(A) 3,000 times the A1 value of the radionuclides as specified in 49 CFR 173.435 for special form Class 7 (radioactive) material;

(B) 3,000 times the A2 value of the radionuclides as specified in 49 CFR 173.435 for normal form Class 7 (radioactive) material; or

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

002.16 LOW SPECIFIC ACTIVITY (LSA) MATERIAL. Radioactive material with limited specific activity which is nonfissile or is excepted under 180 NAC 13-004.04, and 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:

002.16(A) LSA-I. The following criteria applies:
(i) Uranium and thorium ores, concentrates of uranium and thorium ores, and other ores containing naturally occurring radioactive radionuclides intended to be processed for the use of these radionuclides;

(ii) Natural uranium, depleted uranium, natural thorium or their compounds or mixtures, provided they are unirradiated and in solid or liquid form;

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

(iv) Other radioactive material where the activity is distributed throughout and the estimated average specific activity does not exceed 30 times the value for exempt material activity concentration determined according to Appendix 13-A.

002.16(B) LSA-II. The following criteria applies to low:
(i) Water with tritium concentration up to 0.8 TBq/liter (20.0 Ci/liter); or

(ii) Other radioactive material in which the activity is distributed throughout, and the average specific activity does not exceed 10-4 A2/g for solids and gases, and 10-55-A2/g for liquids.

002.16(C) LSA-III SOLIDS. Solids excluding powders, that satisfy the requirements of 10 CFR 71.77 where:
(i) The radioactive material is distributed throughout a solid or a collection of solid objects, or is essentially uniformly distributed in a solid compact binding agent; and

(ii) The 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 radioactive material per package leaching, when placed in water for 7 days, would not exceed 0.1 A2; and

(iii) The estimated average specific activity of the solid, excluding any shielding material, does not exceed 2 E-3 A2/g.

002.17 LOW TOXICITY ALPHA EMITTERS. Natural thorium; uranium-235, uranium-238, thorium-232, thorium-228 or thorium-230 when contained in ores or physical or chemical concentrates or tailings; or alpha emitters with a half-life of less than 10 days.

002.18 NATURAL THORIUM. Thorium with the naturally occurring distribution of thorium isotopes, essentially 100 weight percent thorium-232.

002.19 NORMAL FORM RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL. Radioactive material which has not been demonstrated to qualify as "special form radioactive material" as defined 180 NAC 1-002.

002.20 OPTIMUM INTERSPERSED HYDROGENOUS MODERATION. The presence of hydrogenous material between packages to such an extent the maximum nuclear reactivity results.

002.21 PACKAGE. The packaging together with its radioactive contents as presented for transport.

(A) Fissile material package or Type AF package, Type BF package, Type B(U)F package or Type B(M)F package means a fissile material packaging together with its fissile material contents.

(B) Type A package means a Type A packaging together with its radioactive contents. A type A package is defined and must comply with (DOT) regulations in 49 CFR 173.

(C) Type B package means a Type B packaging together with its radioactive contents. On approval, a Type B package design is designated by the NRC as B(U) unless the package has a maximum normal operating pressure or more than 700 Kilopascal Pressure Unit (kPa) (100 lb/in2) gauge or pressure relief device that would allow the release of radioactive material to the environment under the tests specified in 10 CFR Part 71.73 (hypothetical accident conditions), where it will receive a designation B(M). B(U) refers to the need for unilateral approval of international shipments; B(M) refers to the need for multilateral approval of international shipments. There is no distinction made in how packages with these designations may be used in domestic transportation. To determine their distinction for international transportation, see DOT regulations, 49 CFR 173. A Type B package approved before September 6, 1983, was designated only as Type B. Limitations on its use are specified 10 CFR 71.19.

002.22 PACKAGING. The assembly of components necessary to ensure compliance with the packaging requirements of 180 NAC 13. It may consist of one or more receptacles, absorbent materials, spacing structures, thermal insulation, radiation shielding, and devices for cooling or absorbing mechanical shocks. The vehicle, tie down system, and auxiliary equipment may be designated as part of the packaging.

002.23 SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF A RADIONUCLIDE. The radioactivity of a radionuclide per unit mass of that nuclide. The specific activity of a material where the radionuclide is essentially uniformly distributed is the radioactivity per unit mass of the material.

002.24 SURFACE CONTAMINATED OBJECT. A solid object not itself classed as radioactive material, but has radioactive material distributed on any of its surfaces. A Surface Contaminated Object must be in one of two groups with surface activity not exceeding the following limits:

002.24(A) SURFACE CONTAMINATED OBJECT-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 µCi/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 0.4 Bq/cm2 (10-5 µCi/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 4E+4 Bq/cm2 (1.0 µCi/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4E+3 Bq/cm2 (0.1 µCi/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 4E+4 Bq/cm2 (1.0 µCi/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4E+3 Bq/cm2 (0.1 µCi/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

002.24(B) SURFACE CONTAMINATED OBJECT-II. A solid object on which the limits for Surface Contaminated Object -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 µCi/cm2) or beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters or 40 Bq/cm2 (10-3 µCi/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 8E+5 Bq/cm2 (20 µCi/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8E+4 Bq/cm2 (2 µCi/cm2) for all other alpha emitters;

(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 8E+5 Bq/cm2 (20 µCi/cm2) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8E+4 Bq/cm2 (2 µCi/cm2) for all other alpha emitters.

002.25 TRANSPORT INDEX. 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 the number determined at 1 meter (3.3 feet) from the external surface of the package by 100, equivalent to the maximum radiation level in millirem (mrem) per hour at 1 meter (3.3 feet).

002.26 TYPE A QUANTITY. A quantity of radioactive material, the aggregate radioactivity of which does not exceed A1 for special form radioactive material, or A2, for normal form radioactive material, where A1 and A2 are given in Appendix 13-A, Table A-1, or may be determined by procedures described in Appendix 13-A.

002.27 TYPE B QUANTITY. A quantity of radioactive material greater than a Type A quantity.

002.28 UNIRRADIATED URANIUM. Uranium containing not more than 2 x 103 Bq of plutonium per gram of uranium-235, not more than 9 x 106 Bq of fission products per gram of uranium-235, and not more than 5 x 103 g of uranium-236 per gram of uranium-235.

002.29 URANIUM - NATURAL, DEPLETED, ENRICHED. Natural uranium, depleted uranium and enriched uranium are:

002.29(A) NATURAL URANIUM. Uranium, which may be chemically separated, with the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes, approximately 0.711 weight percent uranium-235, and the remainder by weight essentially uranium-238.

002.29(B) DEPLETED URANIUM. Uranium containing less uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

002.29(C) ENRICHED URANIUM. Uranium containing more uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Nebraska may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.