All radioactive shipments are regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Since transport accidents cannot be prevented, the regulations are primarily designed to:

• Insure safety in routine handling situations for minimally hazardous material
• Insure integrity under all circumstances for highly dangerous materials

These goals are accomplished by focusing on the packaging and its ability to:

• Contain the material (prevent leaks)
• Prevent unusual occurrences (such as criticality)
• Reduce external radiation to safe levels (provide shielding)

The Radioactive Material Incident Report (RMIR) Database was developed in 1981 at the Transportation Programs Department of Sandia National Laboratories to support its research and development activities for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

This database contains information about radioactive materials transportation incidents that have occurred in the U.S. since 1971.

These data were drawn from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Material Incident Report System, from Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) files, and from various agencies, including state radiological control offices.