What Is Considered Hazardous Material?

Source: mewaji/Shutterstock.com

Whether you run a small family business that ships cosmetics or work for a large medical supply distributor, you should know what is considered hazardous material.

If you need to know what is considered hazardous material, check out these points:

• Hazardous material, or hazmat, is any kind of substance with the potential to damage the environment or negatively affect the health of humans.
• If you plan to ship a hazardous item, you must comply with international safety regulations on packaging and labeling. Failure to do so can cause hefty fines, long shipping delays and, in extreme cases, loss of life. 

What Is Considered Hazardous Material?

The United Nations guidelines state there are nine classes of hazardous materials you should understand when determining whether your shipment requires special labeling and packaging:

This type of material is a highly reactive substance that can explode or ignite if it comes into contact with some form of energy like light, pressure, heat or sound. Some explosives contain volatile chemical energy, while items like a gas can, hairspray bottle or spray paint can have reactive pressurized gas. 

The explosives category is split into six sub-divisions, ranging from insensitive and relatively non-hazardous to sensitive and dangerous primary explosives. To comply with UN safety regulations, you must use specialist hazardous waste packaging to transport or store these materials.

Use Hazardous Waste Packaging to Safely Transport Hazardous Materials

This hazard class is made up of three sub-categories: flammable gases, nonflammable gases and toxic gases. Household gases like butane or propane are examples of flammable substances. Breathing in toxic asphyxiants like acetylene, methane, nitrogen and helium can damage your body’s respiratory system.

Source: smereka/Shutterstock.com

A liquid is flammable if it has a flashpoint at a temperature lower than 140-150°F. This means the liquid gives off a flammable vapor that could ignite in the surrounding air. If you’re shipping various types of alcohol, aviation fuel, paints, nail polish or petrol, you need to mark these packages as flammable liquids. 

This category refers to solid items with chemical properties that make them combustible. There are three sub-divisions in this hazard class: flammable solids, spontaneously combustible solids and items that give off flammable gases when they come into contact with water. Some common flammable substances include sodium batteries, activated carbon, calcium chloride, matches and firelighters. 

• Oxidizing Agents & Organic Peroxide Compounds

Oxidizing agents can trigger a redox (reduction–oxidation) chemical reaction to oxidize other substances and lead to combustion. They combine with the oxygen molecules in the air to make surrounding materials chemically unstable. 

Organic peroxides have a similar chemical structure to hydrogen peroxide but with organic groups and radicals instead of hydrogen atoms. These substances are self-reactive and combustible. They can also react quickly and powerfully with other chemical materials. Organic compounds like aluminum nitrate, calcium peroxide, sodium nitrate and potassium chlorate are just a few examples of effective oxidizing agents. 

• Poisonous Material & Infectious Agents 

Swallowing or coming into contact with a poisonous or toxic item can cause severe adverse physical reactions that may be fatal. These substances include cyanide, chlorine gas, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide and mercury. 

Infectious agents are products most likely containing pathogens: These dangerous microorganisms weaken your immune system, causing illness and, in extreme cases, death. If your company ships biological and medical cultures or samples, you’ll need to mark your packaging with the infectious agent’s label. 

If the material is radioactive, it contains radionuclide atoms that decay over time. As these atoms decay, they give off alpha, beta and gamma radiation. When this ionizing radiation comes into contact with living cells, it causes them to mutate and become unstable: This can lead to skin burn, dermatitis, hair loss and cancer. 

Uranium hexafluoride, yellowcake, cesium isotopes and density gauges are all examples of potentially destructive radioactive substances and products. 

Corrosive substances are chemical materials that deconstruct or dissolve your skin when they come into contact with living tissue. The two main types of corrosive materials are acids and bases. If you ship dyes, paints, battery fluid, bromine or iodine, you’ll need to label these products as corrosive. 

• Other Hazardous Materials 

These miscellaneous substances can pose an environmental, pathogenic or magnetized risk. They include dry ice, genetically modified organisms, first aid kits, internal combustion engines, asbestos and various fertilizers.

If You’re Shipping Hazardous Material, Use Hazmat Labels

How Should You Label Hazardous Materials? 

Source: Ody_Stocker/Shutterstock.com

Once you understand what is considered a hazardous material, check to see if your shipment falls under any of these categories. If it does, you’ll need to comply with the Department of Transportation’s current regulations and correctly label the package. There are a lot of labels to choose from, and each one denotes something slightly different. 

Select a label that accurately classifies the type of hazard the material poses. Most hazmat labels have a number at the bottom to indicate which hazard class the shipment falls under. Ensure the label’s text is black or white so the lettering is more distinctive and easy to read. 

If you’re shipping items on an industrial scale or in bulk, you’ll need to attach a special placard to each package. These placards are heavy-duty and bulky alternatives to the labels: They measure just under 10 inches on each side. 

The Takeaway 

Hazardous material can have a drastic and destructive impact on the human body and the surrounding environment. For that reason, you must tag these packages with a clear and concise label so company employees, carriers and first responders can easily identify the type of substance inside. 

For clear, high-contrast hazmat labels and placards that comply with current safety standards, browse the range at Air Sea Containers.