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FEB 3'97 16:39 FR NORDION INTERNRTIONgL 13 592 0440 TO 12018671476 P.14iI9 Fire 'tests As with the drop tests, ons muse have a facility eo carry out ffro cases which will satisfy the regulatory requirements. The most convenient facility •in the Octara area is ac eha Materials Fira Tnscing Branch of rl~e National Research Council- The gurs~pe lour#d there is a propane fired unit vi eh a chamber volume oP 1620 ft (45.9 m The furnace is designed to perforce aecordiag to the ASTM Standards. ADDITIONAL REMALtKS ON QUALITY AND SAFE'17 Somewhat less scientific tesu in the USA and U& of type B containers which met the same standards as Nordion's F-168 and F-231 have involved the free fall drop of the container from an aircraft at an altitude 600 m onto a concrete rummy and the impact of a diesel locomotive traveling at 80 mph (130 km/hr). The locomotive vas totally destroyed while the container vas undamaged. In addition to the previously mentioned standard engineering techniques and destructive casts, Nordion's shipping containers are subject to a regular inspection aced maiatenaace programme. Design, Manufacturing, Quality Control and Quality Assurance procedures are approved by the Canadian Atomic Energy Control Board- AECB certifica[ion conforms to Incarnational atomic Energy Agency's specifications and is aceepeed world-vide by compaeene authorities. Since eha beginning of Cobalt-60 shipping activities in 1955, there have only been a few incidents involving Nordion's induserial Cobalt-60 shipments. Not one of these resulted in the release of any radioactive materials or presented any radiation hazard to the public or the environment, The total amount of induserial Gobalt-60 shipped by Nordion up co March 1, 1988 is approximately 190 million curies. This cepresencs approximately 870 separate shipments. Furthermore, during the same period in North America there ware in excess of 1 million shipments of radioactive materials in similar (Type B) containers - not one of these caused any radiation exposure to eha public or the environment. The record of eha industry in this regard is without parallel compared co shipments of ocher hazardous materials such as toxic chemicals, gasoline and heating fuels. SUl4lA&Y COMMENTS The safe transport of Cobalt-60 industrial radiation sources is essential to chs viability of gamma processing eschaology world-vide. Producers and users of sources are stringently regulated. Transporucion packages are tasted- Primary producers such as Nordion cooperate fully with regulatory agencies co improve evaluation technology to keep pace with changing requirements. The record of the industry in this regard is extremely positive, and Nordion in particular is proud of 1es contributions made over the past 30 ysars. - 5 -