Croft wins licence from US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Certified to transport medical radioactive waste in the Safkeg-LS package
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded a certificate to Croft Associates, a designer of containers for the safe transportation and storage of radioactive waste, to enable it to use the Safkeg-LS package to transport such waste.
According to Croft, which has operations in the US and UK, this is the only package currently approved for contents that previously required a DOT Spec 6M package.
The Safkeg-LS Model 3979A, developed by Croft for the University of Missouri, will initially be used by the University to ship radioisotopes produced by its research reactor. These radioisotopes are used primarily in medical applications, including diagnostic kits and radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer.
Missouri University’s Michael Flagg said: “We will be using the Safkeg-LS to transport bulk amounts of a variety of radioactive materials used to formulate radiopharmaceuticals for cancer therapies.
“We will also use the package for shipments of a wide range of research radioisotopes across the globe allowing us to expand occasional shipments of limited quantities of fissile materials.”
The Safkeg-LS package consists of a stainless steel outer keg with a flange type lid fastened by bolts. The containment vessel lid inside the keg is fitted with a test port for carrying out pre-shipment leakage tests in accordance with the ANSI N14.5 testing standard. The radioactive material can be carried in a variety of containers depending on the University’s requirements, including aluminium capsules, glass bottles or quartz vials.
Although the Safkeg-LS was designed for Missouri University, Croft will be making the package available to other customers.
Croft managing director, Bob Vaughan, explained: “There has been no authorised package available for the shipping of this kind of medical radionuclide since 2008, so we are very pleased to have received the certificate. The package is highly suitable to transport a range of radioactive materials, including research samples, bulk isotopes and medical products, so it will have relevance to users across the medical and research spectrum internationally.”