The Real Risks of Packaging and Transporting Nuclear Materials

The public, and many who handle or process nuclear materials, are often unaware of the real risks associated with transporting nuclear materials along the nation?s highways. The history of nuclear materials packaging and transport safety is extraordinary. However, when members of the public hear about or see a nuclear material shipment on the highway, they usually become fearful and want to distance themselves from the shipment as quickly as possible. These people are our friends, our neighbors, and our family members, and we, as members of the nuclear industry, have both the opportunity and the responsibility to help educate them about the real risks associated with the shipment. Similarly, lawmakers hear from their constituents about the ?deadly? radioactive materials being transported through their communities, and they, like their constituents, often do not understand the real risks involved. This presentation will discuss the shipping history, risks, and mitigative factors of nuclear materials transportation. It will provide information that can be taken home and shared with friends and family. This is a ?grass roots? effort to help people understand that being stopped next to an empty gasoline tanker at a traffic light on a warm summer day involves a much greater risk than being near the nuclear material shipment that causes so much concern today.