Class 7 - Radioactive Material

The seventh class found in Part 2 is Class 7 - Radioactive Material. This classification includes goods that contain radionuclides, which are atomic particles that are radioactive. For radioactive material, the type of packaging can be an important factor in classification. Several different types of radioactive materials are defined. For example, fissile nuclides are radionuclides that are capable of being involved in a nuclear fission chain reaction. Low dispersible radioactive material is a solid radioactive material that is not easily spread and is not in powder form. The term surface contaminated object refers to a solid object that is not radioactive itself but which has radioactive material on its surface. These definitions are used in describing the materials listed in Table 2.7.2.1.1 Assignment of UN Numbers, which provides the UN numbers, proper shipping names, and description of a range of radioactive materials. The activity level of a radioactive material is determined based on the specific type of radionuclide; this information is listed in the table under 2.7.2.2.

To learn more about IMDG visit our International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code Online Training web page.