The safety of transport of radioactive materials in Romania

The transport of radioactive materials involves a risk both for the crew personnel and members of the public. The potential exposures to the general population from transporting radioactive materials, whether during routine operations or from postulated accidents, usually result in such a small dose that the primary adverse health effect is the potential induction of latent cancers (i.e., cancers that occur after a latency period of several years from the time of exposure). The transport of radioactive materials is an important part of the radioactive materials management within the Romanian National Nuclear Programme. This paper presents the qualification testing for type A packages and the evaluation of the main aspects concerning the safety of transport of radioactive materials in Romania by using different transport modes: by road, by rail, by sea. The safety assessment includes safety aspects, such as: (1) the evaluation and analysis of available data on the assumed mode traffic accidents; (2) the estimation of the expected frequency for severe accident scenarios resulting in potential radionuclides releases; (3) the estimation and evaluation of the expected radiological consequences and the accident risks of such transport operations. (author)