Class 7 Radioactive Materials

General

Radioactive material means any material containing radionuclides where both the activity concentration and the total activity in the consignment exceed the values specified in 10.3.2 of the DGR manual.

Description of F-18 ( FDG)

Fluorodeoxyglucose, F-18 (FDG) is a radiopharmaceutical used in medical imaging with PET (positron emission tomography). This medicine is a radioactive drug FDG produced from Cyclotron and transferred to different locations (as per requirement). After FDG is injected into a patient, a PET scanner can form images of the distribution of FDG around the body that can be assessed to diagnose various medical conditions, cancer in particular. It can also be used to diagnose brain and cardiac disorders.

Description of Iodine-131(I-131)

Heavy radioactive isotopes with a half-life of 08 days used in sodium salt to diagnose thyroid disease and thyroid goiter. People exposed to Ir-131 especially during childhood, may have an increased risk of thyroid disease including thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is a slow growing cancer that is highly treatable. The radioiodine from the treatment will remain in the body temporarily. Most of the radioiodine is not collected by your residual thyroid tissue will be eliminated during the first two days after your treatment. Iodine in food is absorbed by the body and preferentially concentrated in the thyroid where it is needed for the functioning of that gland. As it decays it causes damage to the thyroid.

Description of Technetium -99m(T-99)

Is a metastable nuclear isomer used commonly as medical radioisotope. It emits readily detectable gamma rays which keep the radiation exposure low in patients. But it has a short life of one day. To have a more longibility , T-99 was discovered as a product of cyclotron bombardment of molybdenum. This procedure produced molybdenum- 99, a radionuclide with a longer half-life (2.75 days) which decays to T-99m and is used in aging research and material testing nuclear reactors.

Description of Caesium -137(Cs-137)

Cs-137 is radioisotope of caesium. It is amongst the most problematic of the short-to-medium-lifetime fission products because it easily moves and spread in nature due to the high water solubility of caesium’s most common chemical compound which are salts.  It has a half-life of 30.17 years.

Description of Iridium wire-192(Ir-192)

Ir-192 is one of the most stable radioisotopes having a half-life of 73.83 days. It comes in the form of wire. It decays by emitting beta particles and gamma radiation.

Packing of the container

The packaging instruction is given and approved by AERB (refer Certificate of Registration for Type A package design in the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) Safety Code No. SC/TR – 1, 1986 edition for transportation of radioactive material).

Documents required to book Radioactive Material

The following documents are required from the shipper for transportation of RRY:

Copy of the valid permission letter from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) which allows them to transport in a Type A container. This copy is mandatory for every shipment. (AERB is the ultimate authority to oversee manufacture and supply of radiopharmaceuticals. They give the license to the shipper for transporting radioactive material. The organisation provides the guideline for safe transportation of radioactive material)

At least two copies in original of Shipper’s Declaration to Dangerous Goods as per section 8.1.2.3.1 of the current edition of the DGR manual

Consignor’s Declaration for Safe Transportation of RRY

Shipment having sum of the Transport Index maximum up to 3 is accepted.

Transportation of empty packaging of radioactive material:

The following labels to be affixed on each empty packages of RRY.

The proper shipping name to be depicted on the airway bill as “UN 2908, Radioactive material, excepted package- empty packaging”

Note :

  1. AERB certification, categorization, hazards label and shippers declaration (DGD) not required.

The empty packages of radioactive material will not be transported if the external  radiation of such packages exceeds 5 µ  Sv/h.