Radioactive material shipped by the DOE is packaged, marked, labeled, and documented in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and DOE regulations and orders. This ensures handlers, transporters, and the public receive radiation doses lower than federally-regulated limits.
Regulations mandate the selection and use of appropriate packaging for radioactive material.
Package testing may include submersion, penetration, vibration, stacking, temperature, and drop tests, depending on the type of radioactive material the packages are designed to contain. The results of these tests are required to be documented and maintained by the shippers. For additional information on transportation of hazardous materials or on the identification placards used during the transportation of radioactive materials visit the U.S. Department of Transportation web site. Selection and use of these packages depends upon the type and amount of radioactive material being shipped. Excepted Packages are designed to the least stringent engineering specifications and are used to ship materials with extremely low levels of radioactivity.