Dangerous Goods by Road
Special form radioactive material shall be of such a nature or shall be so designed that if it is subjected
to the tests specified in 2.2.7.2.3.3.4 to 2.2.7.2.3.3.8, it shall meet the following requirements:
(a) It would not break or shatter under the impact, percussion and bending tests
2.2.7.2.3.3.5 (a), (b), (c) and 2.2.7.2.3.3.6 (a) as applicable;
(b) It would not melt or disperse in the applicable heat test 2.2.7.2.3.3.5 (d) or 2.2.7.2.3.3.6 (b) as
applicable; and
(c) The activity in the water from the leaching tests specified in 2.2.7.2.3.3.7 and 2.2.7.2.3.3.8
would not exceed 2 kBq; or alternatively for sealed sources, the leakage rate for the volumetric
leakage assessment test specified in ISO 9978:1992 "Radiation Protection - Sealed Radioactive
Sources - Leakage Test Methods", would not exceed the applicable acceptance threshold
acceptable to the competent authority.
Demonstration of compliance with the performance standards in 2.2.7.2.3.3.2 shall be in accordance
with 6.4.12.1 and 6.4.12.2.
Specimens that comprise or simulate special form radioactive material shall be subjected to the impact
test, the percussion test, the bending test, and the heat test specified in 2.2.7.2.3.3.5 or alternative tests
as authorized in 2.2.7.2.3.3.6. A different specimen may be used for each of the tests. Following each
test, a leaching assessment or volumetric leakage test shall be performed on the specimen by a method
no less sensitive than the methods given in 2.2.7.2.3.3.7 for indispersible solid material or
2.2.7.2.3.3.8 for encapsulated material.
The relevant test methods are:
(a) Impact test: The specimen shall drop onto the target from a height of 9 m. The target shall be
as defined in 6.4.14;
(b) Percussion test: The specimen shall be placed on a sheet of lead which is supported by a
smooth solid surface and struck by the flat face of a mild steel bar so as to cause an impact
equivalent to that resulting from a free drop of 1.4 kg through 1 m. The lower part of the bar
shall be 25 mm in diameter with the edges rounded off to a radius of (3.0 ± 0.3) mm. The lead,
of hardness number 3.5 to 4.5 on the Vickers scale and not more than 25 mm thick, shall cover
an area greater than that covered by the specimen. A fresh surface of lead shall be used for
each impact. The bar shall strike the specimen so as to cause maximum damage;
(c) Bending test: The test shall apply only to long, slender sources with both a minimum length of
10 cm and a length to minimum width ratio of not less than 10. The specimen shall be rigidly
clamped in a horizontal position so that one half of its length protrudes from the face of the
clamp. The orientation of the specimen shall be such that the specimen will suffer maximum
damage when its free end is struck by the flat face of a steel bar. The bar shall strike the
specimen so as to cause an impact equivalent to that resulting from a free vertical drop of 1.4
kg through 1 m. The lower part of the bar shall be 25 mm in diameter with the edges rounded
off to a radius of (3.0 ± 0.3) mm;
(d) Heat test: The specimen shall be heated in air to a temperature of 800 °C and held at that
temperature for a period of 10 minutes and shall then be allowed to cool.
Specimens that comprise or simulate radioactive material enclosed in a sealed capsule may be
excepted from:
(a) The tests prescribed in 2.2.7.2.3.3.5 (a) and (b) provided that the specimens are alternatively
subjected to the impact test prescribed in ISO 2919:2012: "Radiation Protection - Sealed
Radioactive Sources - General requirements and classification":
(i) The Class 4 impact test if the mass of the special form radioactive material is equal to or
less than 200 g;
(ii) The Class 5 impact test if the mass of the special form radioactive material is equal to or
more than 200 g but is less than 500 g;
(b) The test prescribed in 2.2.7.2.3.3.5 (d) provided they are alternatively subjected to the Class 6
temperature test specified in ISO 2919:2012 "Radiation protection - Sealed radioactive
sources - General requirements and classification".
For specimens which comprise or simulate indispersible solid material, a leaching assessment shall be
performed as follows:
(a) The specimen shall be immersed for 7 days in water at ambient temperature. The volume of
water to be used in the test shall be sufficient to ensure that at the end of the 7 day test period
the free volume of the unabsorbed and unreacted water remaining shall be at least 10% of the
volume of the solid test sample itself. The water shall have an initial pH of 6-8 and a maximum
conductivity of 1 mS/m at 20 °C;
(b) The water with specimen shall then be heated to a temperature of (50 ± 5) °C and maintained at
this temperature for 4 hours;
(c) The activity of the water shall then be determined;
(d) The specimen shall then be kept for at least 7 days in still air at not less than 30 °C and relative
humidity not less than 90%;
(e) The specimen shall then be immersed in water of the same specification as in (a) above and the
water with the specimen heated to (50 ± 5) °C and maintained at this temperature for 4 hours;
(f) The activity of the water shall then be determined.
For specimens which comprise or simulate radioactive material enclosed in a sealed capsule, either a
leaching assessment or a volumetric leakage assessment shall be performed as follows:
(a) The leaching assessment shall consist of the following steps:
(i) the specimen shall be immersed in water at ambient temperature. The water shall have
an initial pH of 6-8 with a maximum conductivity of 1 mS/m at 20 °C;
(ii) the water and specimen shall be heated to a temperature of (50 ± 5) °C and maintained
at this temperature for 4 hours;
(iii) the activity of the water shall then be determined;
(iv) the specimen shall then be kept for at least 7 days in still air at not less than 30 °C and
relative humidity of not less than 90%;
(v) the process in (i), (ii) and (iii) shall be repeated;
(b) The alternative volumetric leakage assessment shall comprise any of the tests prescribed in ISO
9978:1992 "Radiation Protection - Sealed radioactive sources - Leakage test methods",
provided that they are acceptable to the competent authority.
Low dispersible radioactive material
The design for low dispersible radioactive material shall require multilateral approval. Low
dispersible radioactive material shall be such that the total amount of this radioactive material in a
package, taking into account the provisions of 6.4.8.14, shall meet the following requirements:
(a) The radiation level at 3 m from the unshielded radioactive material does not exceed 10 mSv/h;
(b) If subjected to the tests specified in 6.4.20.3 and 6.4.20.4, the airborne release in gaseous and
particulate forms of up to 100 μm aerodynamic equivalent diameter would not exceed 100 A2.
A separate specimen may be used for each test; and
(c) If subjected to the test specified in 2.2.7.2.3.1.4 the activity in the water would not exceed
100 A2. In the application of this test, the damaging effects of the tests specified in (b) above
shall be taken into account.
Low dispersible radioactive material shall be tested as follows:
A specimen that comprises or simulates low dispersible radioactive material shall be subjected to the
enhanced thermal test specified in 6.4.20.3 and the impact test specified in 6.4.20.4. A different
specimen may be used for each of the tests. Following each test, the specimen shall be subjected to the
leach test specified in 2.2.7.2.3.1.4. After each test it shall be determined if the applicable
requirements of 2.2.7.2.3.4.1 have been met.
Demonstration of compliance with the performance standards in 2.2.7.2.3.4.1 and 2.2.7.2.3.4.2 shall
be in accordance with 6.4.12.1 and 6.4.12.2.
Fissile material
Fissile material and packages containing fissile material shall be classified under the relevant entry as
“FISSILE” in accordance with Table 2.2.7.2.1.1 unless excepted by one of the provisions of subparagraphs
(a) to (f) below and carried subject to the requirements of 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3). All
provisions apply only to material in packages that meets the requirements of 6.4.7.2 unless
unpackaged material is specifically allowed in the provision.
(a) Uranium enriched in uranium-235 to a maximum of 1% by mass, and with a total plutonium
and uranium-233 content not exceeding 1% of the mass of uranium-235, provided that the
fissile nuclides are distributed essentially homogeneously throughout the material. In addition,
if uranium-235 is present in metallic, oxide or carbide forms, it shall not form a lattice
arrangement;
(b) Liquid solutions of uranyl nitrate enriched in uranium-235 to a maximum of 2% by mass, with
a total plutonium and uranium-233 content not exceeding 0.002% of the mass of uranium, and
with a minimum nitrogen to uranium atomic ratio (N/U) of 2;
(c) Uranium with a maximum uranium enrichment of 5% by mass uranium-235 provided:
(i) There is no more than 3.5 g of uranium-235 per package;
(ii) The total plutonium and uranium-233 content does not exceed 1% of the mass of
uranium-235 per package;
(iii) Carriage of the package is subject to the consignment limit provided in 7.5.11 CV33
(4.3) (c);
(d) Fissile nuclides with a total mass not greater than 2.0 g per package provided the package is
carried subject to the consignment limit provided in 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3) (d);
(e) Fissile nuclides with a total mass not greater than 45 g either packaged or unpackaged subject
to limits provided in 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3) (e);
(f) A fissile material that meets the requirements of 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3) (b), 2.2.7.2.3.6 and
5.1.5.2.1.
A fissile material excepted from classification as “FISSILE” under 2.2.7.2.3.5 (f) shall be subcritical
without the need for accumulation control under the following conditions:
(a) The conditions of 6.4.11.1 (a);
(b) The conditions consistent with the assessment provisions stated in 6.4.11.12 (b) and
6.4.11.13 (b) for packages.
Classification of packages or unpacked material
The quantity of radioactive material in a package shall not exceed the relevant limits for the package
type as specified below.