Therapy

The safe transport of radiopharmaceutical products is a vital requirement for the daily practice of nuclear medicine. Radioactive material must be transported safely and effectively to meet this need. This requires multiple parties to adhere to a set of regulations that can be open to interpretation.

To proactively address issues associated with the transport of radioactive products, Nuclear Medicine Europe members created the Transport Experts Working Group. The group was established to develop a common understanding and define standards within the radiopharmaceutical industry in Europe for the safe transport of radioactive materials.

These standards for shipment, package checking, and control and audit of carriers are fundamental for the management of radioactive material. All members adopt these standards for the most important aspects associated with the transport of radioactive products.

Original Main Aims

• Define a common understanding of how to guarantee transport safety and improve standards while maintaining transport costs within acceptable limits
• Define common ground for discussions with authorities on transport safety-related issues and for focusing future regulations on critical priorities
• Define common standards to be implemented by all carriers
• Define a platform for designing respective areas of responsibility and control with air carriers to avoid duplication of efforts, potentially through an audit procedure
• Establish procedures to check parcel compliance before departure from manufacturer premises
• Develop return standards shared with the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM)
  
  

Standards Produced

• Dose rate measurement for Type A and Type B packages for transport
• Return procedure for Type A and B packages
• Security of radioactive material in transit and audit of carriers

The working group collaborates with EITA, the European Isotopes Transport Association, to secure carrier commitment to ensure the safe transport and delivery of radioactive material. The working group has developed a system for standard auditing of carriers throughout Europe.

The Nuclear Medicine Europe Transport Experts Working Group consists of manufacturers, transporters, and trade bodies.