UN 3328

Today I reached a personal best while spotting hazmat placards.

UN 3328, Radioactive material, Type B (U) package, fissile.

Spotted going southbound on I-25, just north of the I-76 interchange:

truck trailer with Type B packaging

At first, I thought the upper dome shape was for a pressure vessel, but on closer examination, I no longer believe that. Also, the bottom is flat. What kind of pressure vessel has a dome on one end, and flat on the other?

I managed to get an image of the warning labels on the side of the containers:

Hazardous material warnings on side of truck

Just look at those warnings!

Class 7 radioactive substances. This is a DOT labeling for radioactive material. It doesn’t seem to mean much more.

The half yellow/half white diamond has a “Radioactive II” notation. Too bad it’s so blurry. The actual chemical elements or isotopes would be visible on it. I think “Radioactive II” means “Low radiation levels: >0.5–50 millirems (0.0050–0.5000 mSv) per hour, on surface. 1.0 millirem (0.010 mSv) max Hmum at 3.3 feet (1 m).”

UN 3328 means “Radioactive material, Type B (U) package, fissile”. I think this claims that the big beige containers are quite stout.

From https://remm.hhs.gov/transportation_hazard_id.htm:

Type B packages: designed to transport material with the highest levels of radioactivity

  • Designed to survive severe accidents conditions (e.g., impact, fire, water immersion)
  • Designed to transport material with the highest levels of radioactivity
  • Type B packagings range from small hand-held radiography cameras to heavily shielded steel casks that weigh up to 125 tons. (See photos below.)
  • Life-endangering amounts of radioactive material are required to be transported in Type B Packages.
  • Examples of material transported in Type B packagings include spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and high concentrations of other radioactive material such as cesium and cobalt.
  • These package designs must withstand all Type A tests, AND a series of tests that simulate severe or “worst-case” accident conditions.
    • Accident conditions are simulated by performance testing and engineering analysis.

The “(U)” is supposed to mean “unilateral”, that the type of packaging is approved by the country of origin.