What’s the risk of carrying nuclear material?

Radiation occurs naturally in the environment, a 100g bag of Brazil nuts produces a higher level of radiation exposure than a dental x-ray for example[i], and radiation is present all around us.

The materials transported by ship is highly shielded against radiation. The flasks used are constructed to, not only shield from radiation, but also to be incredibly strong in the highly unlikely event of an accident.

The types of material transported vary in their radioactivity but typically, from 2m away, the radiation given off by these transports would be equal to the naturally occurring background radiation.

If you were standing directly next to one of the flasks carrying spent nuclear fuel the radiation would be around 0.03 mSv/hr at contact, equivalent to a third of the exposure from a transatlantic flight.

Because of the excellent protection provided by the transport containers, a crew members’ annual average radiation dose is 0.08mSv/year.

That figure is lower than a a return flight from the UK to Los Angeles, USA (0.11mSv/year).

If you have any further questions please contact us at [email protected]

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[i] Ionising radiation: dose comparisons – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)