Why no leakage is neough for type A packages: A regulatory point of view

The 1985 Edition of the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material establishes for different kinds of packages the applicable tests and the respective after-test acceptance requirements. In particular, paragraph 548 of the Regulations establishes that Type B packages shall be so designed that, if they were subjected to the tests for demonstrating ability to withstand normal conditions of transport, the loss of radioactive contents shall be restricted to not more than A2 E-06 per hour. On the other hand, paragraph 537 of the Regulations establishes that Type A and Industrial packages Type 2 and Type 3 shall be so designed that, when subjected to the tests for demonstrating ability to withstand normal conditions of transport, it would prevent loss or dispersal of the radioactive contents. As prescribed in the Regulations, the after-test evaluation of radioactive releases from Type A designs does not require a quantitative assessment. Therefore, the Regulations allow the designers, in agreement with the National Competent Authority, to select the method for verifying the compliance with the statement prevent loss or dispersal of the radioactive contents. Packages containing radioactive materials in gaseous form are not taken into account because the qualitative methods likely to be satisfactory for leakage evaluation (e.g., a bubble test, differential pressure test), are highly sensitive and able to be quantified if needed. Packages carrying special form radioactive materials are not considered in this paper