Keeping Nuclear Transportation Safe

SENSE Keeping Nuclear Transportation Safe (NAPSA)— Over the past 40 years, more than 3,000 shipments of used nuclear fuel have navigated more than 1.7 million miles of U.S. roads and railways. Throughall this travel, no radioactive materials have been released resulting from an accident. The nuclear industry’s transportation safety record would be difficult for other industries to match. Regulations and procedures for shipping nuclear materials are governed to minimize the chancefor an accident to occur. Each year, between two and five million shipments of radioactive material—mostly radioisotopes for medical and industrial use—are transported in the U.S. The nuclear industry embraces basic safety measures that ensure the sustainability of this safety record. Casks used for shipping spent nuclear fuel are rigorously designed in accordance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Transportation regulations. The casks (which are about 15 times thicker than a gasoline tank truck shell, including three inches of stainless steel and thick radiation shields) are built to withstand severe crashes, fire, water immersion and puncture. Also, public transport routes must meet strict safety require- ments before nuclear material is permitted access. For more information visit www.ans.org/pi/np/transport or call the American Nuclear Society Outreach Dept. at 708-352-6611.