Skolnik

Do you believe that if you are purchasing a UN certified package, there is no need to verify the status of the Testing Certificate? If so, you could not be more wrong, and you could expose your company to a probable violation fine from the Department Of Transportation. As stated in CFR 178.2(c), manufacturers and "each subsequent distributor" is responsible for verifying the status of the UN Certification and issuance of applicable instructions to compliance with conformance. Therefore, if one is re-selling a package that is given an invalid UN mark, the re-seller is also liable for violation fines. The best way to protect all purchases from this type of exposure is to require current UN certificates with each purchase and verify the information upon receipt.

All forms of packaging have their strong and weak points, but the staff and residents at the Los Alamos National Laboratories in Los Alamos, New Mexico, certainly must be happy that much of the on-site storage of low-level radioactive waste, was in all steel containers. It was during a controlled burn, that high winds turned a small fire into one that destroyed thousands of acres, hundreds of homes and parts of the National Laboratory. As the fire approached the Laboratory property, Lab staff could be confident that the steel contained waste would not be at risk due to the flame and temperature resistance of steel containers. In a situation such as this, alternative types of packaging made of paper or plastic could have burned or melted. This monumental fire has, once again, reminded us of the protection that is offered when using steel containers.