Wash. Admin. Code § 246-231-010

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 246-231-010 - Definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms

The definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms in this section and in WAC 246-220-010 apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. To ensure compatibility with international transportation standards, all limits in this chapter are given in terms of dual units: The International System of Units (SI) followed or preceded by U.S. standard or customary units. The U.S. customary units are not exact equivalents, but are rounded to a convenient value, providing a functionally equivalent unit. For the purpose of this chapter, either unit may be used.

(1) "A1" means the maximum activity of special form radioactive material permitted in a Type A package. This value is either listed in WAC 246-231-200, Table A-1 or may be derived in accordance with the procedures prescribed in WAC 246-231-200.

(2) "A2" means the maximum activity of radioactive material, other than special form material, LSA and SCO material, permitted in a Type A package. This value is either listed in WAC 246-231-200, Table A-1, or may be derived in accordance with the procedure prescribed in WAC 246-231-200.

(3) "Carrier" means a person engaged in the transportation of passengers or property by land or water as a common, contract, or private carrier, or by civil aircraft.

(4) "Certificate holder" means a person who has been issued a certificate of compliance or other package approval by NRC.

(5) "Certificate of compliance" means the certificate issued by NRC under 10 C.F.R. 71 Subpart D which approves the design of a package for the transportation of radioactive material.

(6) "Close reflection by water" means immediate contact by water of sufficient thickness for maximum reflection of neutrons.

(7) "Consignment" means each shipment of a package or groups of packages or load of radioactive material offered by a shipper for transport.

(8) "Containment system" means the assembly of components of the packaging intended to retain the radioactive material during transport.

(9) "Contamination" means the presence of a radioactive substance on a surface in quantities in excess of 0.4 Bq/cm²(1x10^-5 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) Nonfixed contamination means contamination that can be removed from a surface during normal conditions of transport.

(10) "Conveyance" means:

(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 the vessel; and

(c) For transport by any aircraft.

(11) "Criticality safety index (CSI)" means 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 WAC 246-231-094, 246-231-096, and 10 C.F.R. 71.22, 71.23, and 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.

(12) "Deuterium" means, for the purposes of WAC 246-231-040 and 246-231-094, deuterium and any deuterium compounds, including heavy water, in which the ratio of deuterium atoms to hydrogen atoms exceeds 1:5000.

(13) "DOT" means the United States Department of Transportation. DOT regulations are found in Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 Transportation.

(14) "Exclusive use" means the sole use by a single consignor of a conveyance for which all initial, intermediate, and final loading and unloading are carried out in accordance with the direction of the consignor or consignee. The consignor and the carrier must ensure that any loading or unloading is 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.

(15) "Fissile material" means the radionuclides uranium-233, uranium-235, plutonium-239, and plutonium-241, or any combination of these radionuclides. 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. Certain exclusions from fissile material controls are provided in WAC 246-231-040.

(16) "Graphite" means graphite with a boron equivalent content less than five parts per million and density greater than 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

(17) "Indian Tribe" means an Indian or Alaskan native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian Tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. 479a. A current listing of officially recognized Indian Tribes may be found at: http://www.bia.gov/cs/groups/mywcsp/documents/text/idc-020733.pdf.

(18) "Low specific activity (LSA) material" means radioactive material with limited specific activity which is nonfissile or is excepted under WAC 246-231-040 or 10 C.F.R. 71.15 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:

(a) LSA-I.

(i) Uranium and thorium ores, concentrates of uranium and thorium ores, and other ores containing naturally occurring radioactive radionuclides which are 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; or

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

(iv) Other radioactive material in which the activity is distributed throughout and the estimated average specific activity does not exceed 30 times the value for exempt material activity concentration determined in accordance with Appendix A.

(b) LSA-II.

(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 estimated average specific activity does not exceed 1x10^-4 A2/g for solids and gases, and 1x10^-5 A2/g for liquids.

(c) LSA-III. Solids (e.g., consolidated wastes, activated materials), excluding powders, that satisfy the requirements of the 10 C.F.R. 71.77, in which:

(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 (such as concrete, bitumen, ceramic, etc.); 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 by leaching, when placed in water for seven days, would not exceed 0.1 A2; and

(iii) The estimated average specific activity of the solid, excluding any shielding material, does not exceed 2x10^-3 A2/g.

(19) "Low toxicity alpha emitters" means natural uranium, depleted uranium, 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.

(20) "Maximum normal operating pressure" means the maximum gauge pressure that would develop in the containment system in a period of one year under the heat condition specified in NRC regulations 10 C.F.R. 71.71 (c)(1), in the absence of venting, external cooling by an ancillary system, or operational controls during transport.

(21) "Natural thorium" means thorium with the naturally occurring distribution of thorium isotopes (essentially 100 weight percent thorium-232).

(22) "Normal form radioactive material" means radioactive material that has not been demonstrated to qualify as "special form radioactive material."

(23) "Nuclear waste" as used in WAC 246-231-140 means any quantity of radioactive material (not including radiography sources being returned to the manufacturer) required to be in Type B packaging while transported to, through, or across state boundaries to a disposal site, or to a collection point for transport to a disposal site. Nuclear waste, as used in these regulations, is a special classification of radioactive waste.

(24) "Optimum interspersed hydrogenous moderation" means the presence of hydrogenous material between packages to such an extent that the maximum nuclear reactivity results.

(25) "Package" means 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 the DOT regulations in 49 C.F.R. 173.

(c) "Type B package" means a Type B packaging together with its radioactive contents. Upon approval by NRC, a Type B package design is designated by NRC as B(U) unless the package has a maximum normal operating pressure of more than 700 kPa (100 lbs/in²) gauge or a pressure relief device that would allow the release of radioactive material to the environment under the tests specified in NRC regulations 10 C.F.R. 71.73 (hypothetical accident conditions), in which case 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 in 49 C.F.R. 173. A Type B package approved before September 6, 1983, was designated only as Type B. Limitations on its use are specified in 10 C.F.R. 71.19.

(26) "Packaging" means the assembly of components necessary to ensure compliance with the packaging requirements of this chapter. 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.

(27) "Special form radioactive material" means radioactive material that satisfies the following conditions:

(a) It is either a single solid piece or is contained in a sealed capsule that can be opened only by destroying the capsule;

(b) The piece or capsule has at least one dimension not less than five mm (0.2 in); and

(c) It satisfies the requirements of 10 C.F.R. 71.75. A special form encapsulation designed in accordance with the requirements of 10 C.F.R. 71.4 in effect on June 30, 1983, (see 10 C.F.R. 71, revised as of January 1, 1983), and constructed before July 1, 1985; a special form encapsulation designed in accordance with the requirements of 10 C.F.R. 71.4 in effect on March 31, 1996 (see 10 C.F.R. 71, revised as of January 1, 1996), and constructed before April 1, 1998; and special form material that was successfully tested before September 10, 2015, in accordance with the requirements of 10 C.F.R. 71.75(d) in effect before September 10, 2015, may continue to be used. Any other special form encapsulation must meet the specifications of this definition.

(28) "Specific activity of a radionuclide" means the radioactivity of the radionuclide per unit mass of that nuclide. The specific activity of a material in which the radionuclide is essentially uniformly distributed is the radioactivity per unit mass of the material.

(29) "Spent nuclear fuel" or "spent fuel" means fuel that has been withdrawn from a nuclear reactor following irradiation, has undergone at least one year's decay since being used as a source of energy in a power reactor, and has not been chemically separated into its constituent elements by reprocessing. Spent fuel includes the special nuclear material, by-product material, source material, and other radioactive materials associated with fuel assemblies.

(30) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

(31) "Surface contaminated object (SCO)" means a solid object that is not itself classed as radioactive material, but which has radioactive material distributed on any of its surfaces. SCO must be in one of two groups with surface activity not exceeding the following limits:

(a) SCO-I: A solid object on which:

(i) The nonfixed contamination on the accessible surface averaged over 300 cm² (or the area of the surface if less than 300 cm²) does not exceed four Bq/cm² (1x10^-4 microcurie/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 0.4 Bq/cm² (1x10^-5 microcurie/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 4x10⁴ Bq/cm² (1.0 microcurie/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4x10³ Bq/cm² (0.1 microcurie/cm²) for all other alpha emitters; and

(iii) The nonfixed 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 4x10⁴ Bq/cm² one microcurie/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 4x10³ Bq/cm² (0.1 microcurie/cm²) for all other alpha emitters.

(b) SCO-II: A solid object on which the limits for SCO-I are exceeded and on which:

(i) The nonfixed 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 (1x10^-2 microcurie/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters or 40 Bq/cm² (1x10^-3 microcurie/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 8x10⁵ Bq/cm² (20 microcuries/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8x10⁴ Bq/cm² two microcuries/cm²) for all other alpha emitters; and

(iii) The nonfixed 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 8x10⁵ Bq/cm² (20 microc-uries/cm²) for beta and gamma and low toxicity alpha emitters, or 8x10⁴ Bq/cm² two microcuries/cm²) for all other alpha emitters.

(32) "Transportndex (TI)" means 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 by multiplying the maximum radiation level in millisievert (mSv) per hour at one meter (3.3 ft) from the external surface of the package by 100 (equivalent to the maximum radiation level in millirem per hour at one meter (3.3 ft)).

(33) "Tribal official" means the highest ranking individual who represents Tribal leadership, such as the chief, president, or Tribal council leadership.

(34) "Type A quantity" means 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 Table A-1 of WAC 246-231-200, or may be determined by procedures described in WAC 246-231-200.

(35) "Type B quantity" means a quantity of radioactive material greater than a Type A quantity.

(36) "Unirradiated uranium" means uranium containing not more than 2x10³ Bq of plutonium per gram of uranium-235, not more than 9x10⁶ Bq of fission products per gram of uranium-235, and not more than 5x10^-3 g of uranium-236 per gram of uranium-235.

(37) Uranium-natural, depleted, enriched.

(a) "Natural uranium" means 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).

(b) "Depleted uranium" means uranium containing less uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

(c) "Enriched uranium" means uranium containing more uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of uranium isotopes.

Wash. Admin. Code § 246-231-010

Amended by WSR 14-09-017, filed 4/7/14, effective 5/8/2014

Amended by WSR 17-01-034, Filed 12/12/2016, effective 1/12/2017

Amended by WSR 23-21-056, Filed 10/11/2023, effective 11/11/2023