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Special Form Certificate Special form material means either:
This means that if you have radioactive material which has a current Special Form certificate the packaging requirements for transport are less onerous, often enabling a less expensive and more readily available transport package to be used. If the material is no longer Special Form it may mean that a ‘Type B’ container is required which can in turn lead to a more complicated operation. What is Best Practicable Means? The Environment Agency requires users of radioactive materials to demonstrate pro-actively that they are using the Best Practicable Means to minimise the accumulation of radioactive waste and to minimise the discharge of that waste to the environment, before users are granted authorisations to accumulate and dispose of radioactive waste. There is no definitive definition of BPM as each user's situation will be different. What do we mean by 'Waste'? Radioactive material has a wide range of applications such as in Medicine to diagnose and treat patients, in Universities and Research Companies for research and in Industry for supporting operational processes. Where waste radioactive material is secured within robust physical containment, it's classed as a 'waste closed source'; if not, it is more generally called 'radioactive waste'. The regulations governing the disposal of these broad classes of material are different. What do we mean by 'Closed Sources'? Radioactive closed sources have a wide range of applications such as in Medicine to diagnose and treat patients and in Industry where they are found in instruments and gauges that determine levels, volumes and thickness. Where waste radioactive material is secured within robust physical containment, it's classed as a 'waste closed source'; if not, it is more generally called 'radioactive waste'. The regulations governing the disposal of these broad classes of material are different. |