Considerations concerning the secure transport of radioactive materials in Romania

As UNO member and founding member of the IAEA, Romania has implemented national regulations concerning the transport of radioactive materials in complete safety, complying with recommendations by IAEA and other international organizations. Accordingly, the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control, CNCAN, issued the Directive no. 374/October 2001 which provides the rules for secure radioactive material transport in Romania on roads, rail ways, sea/fluvial and air ways. The paper presents the main sources of producing radioactive materials focussing the following: mining of natural uranium ore, nuclear fuel fabrication plants, nuclear power plants operation, nuclear research reactors, industrial use of radioactive sources (as gamma radiography), use of radioisotope in scientific, educational or medical units. The paper pays attention to the special routes and containers adopted for most secure transport of radioactive waste. Finally, one presents specific issues relating to identification and evaluation of the risk factors occurring at the transport of radioactive waste, as well as the potential radiological consequences upon population and environment. Estimated are the collective risk doses for different categories of populations from areas adjacent to the routes of radioactive materials transportation. It is stressed that the annual collective dose which the population is exposed to in case of accident is comparable with the dose from the natural (cosmic radiation background)