Govt notifies SOPs to check radioactive contamination in metal scrap imports

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has notified the Standard Operating Procedures for random checking of imported consignments of metal scrap with respect to radioactive contamination as per which, no container without a certificate issued by a Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency should be allowed to be unloaded and must be sent back to country of origin. In case any container is found showing radiation levels exceeding the preset alarm level, it should be immediately subjected to identification of source of radiation, the DGFT said in a notification.

The containers may be available or present on board, in port premises, at Container Freight Station or at Inland Container Depot and as part of normal work practice of the Customs, various activities like checking of the seal, serial number of the container, and material description should be carried out.

“Measure the background radiation levels at the location where the container is placed. It should be kept in mind that the background radiation level varies from place to place and it normally ranges from 0.04 μSv/h to 0.1 μSv/h (micro Sievert per hour),” it said.

However, the background radiation levels at certain regions of the world may be more than 0.1 μSv/h.

Measure the radiation levels on the surface of the container by using the hand held radiation monitor, with a preset alarm level. The preset alarm level should be 0.2 μSv/h above background radiation level at the location of measurement. The measured radiation levels should not exceed the preset alarm level.

In case any container is found showing radiation levels exceeding the preset alarm level, it should be immediately subjected to identification of source of radiation with an Isotope Identifier (a handheld RDE can identify the specific radionuclide emitting the radiation), according to the notification.

If the source of radiation is identified as a Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, the container may be considered as clean, and free to depart the measurement / monitoring area.