DOT Shipping Description Determination

Answer to Question 1 - Yes - It is in the 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table

2. Mark the entry in the 171.102 table for reference in a few minutes. Now, look in the appendix (Table 1 - hazardous substances) to the 172.101 table (it is at the end of the table). Do you find any constituents (which are present in the material you are shipping) in this table?

Yes - There is at least one of these hazardous substances in the package.

No - Nothing in this material is in the hazardous substances table

Explanation: This is a list of the CERCLA reportable hazardous substances and their reportable quantities (RQ) should they be released to the environment.

Examples: Acetone has an RQ of 5,000 pounds; gasoline is not in the table, (but note that most of the constituents present in gasoline, like toluene are in the table!)

Reference: 49 CFR 171.102, Table 1; 172.203(c)

Additional information: If you do not have a copy of the DOT HM Tables click here to download a current copy (free) in Adobe PDF format.