{"operation":"document","citation":"00-0067","title":"Air Freight Center, Inc. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2000-04-04","effective_on":null,"summary":"00-0067 response to Air Freight Center, Inc. concerning 173.22.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-00-0067.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-00-0067.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-00-0067","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2000/000067.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S.Department\nResearch and\nof Transportation\n400 Seventh Street, S.W\nWashington. D.C.\n20590\nAdministration\nSpecial Programs\nAPR - 4 2000\nMr. William Warder\nRef. No. 00-0067\nAir Freight Center, Inc.\nKansas City International Airport\nP.O. Box 20104\nKansas City, MO\n64195-0104\nDear Mr. Warder:\nThis is in response to your letter dated February 29, 2000,\nand subsequent telephone conversation with a member of my\nstaff regarding the applicability of a vinegar solution\n(acetic acid) to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49\nCFR Parts 171-180). Your guestions are paraphrased and\nanswered as follows:\nQ1. Does the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Food\nand Drug Administration have a memorandum of\nunderstanding on how to properly class vinegar/acetic\nacid?\nAl. The answer is no.\nQ2. Does the HMR regulate an\nacetic acid solution that\ncontains\nvinegar at a concentration greater than 11\npercent?\nA2. Any material, regardless of its intended purpose, that\nmeets the definition of a hazardous material in S 171.8\nis subject to the HMR.\nUnder § 173.22 of the HMR, it is\nthe shipper's responsibility to properly class a\nmaterial. This office does not perform that function.\n03.\nCan corrosivity test results for a food grade acetic aci\nsolution le.g., 10 percent vinegar and 90 percent water\na non-food grade acetic acid solution with\nthe identical concentrations?\n000067\n173,22\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nA3. The answer is yes. DOT does not make a distinction\nbetween a food grade and non-food grade acetic acid solution.\nwe hope this satisfies your request.\nSincerely,\nsent\nTransportation Regulations Specialist\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Standards\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\n03-28-00\n14:49\nFrom-AIR FREIGHT CENTER\n+8162435581\nT-667 P.01/02 F-069\nPHONE (B16) 243-5535\nAIR\nFREIGHT\nKANSAS CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT\nCENTER,\nINC.\nP.O. BOX 20104\nKANSAS CITY, MO 64195\nMr. Edward T. Mazzullo, Director\nBAH\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Standards\nResearch and Special Programs Administration\n8173.22\nUS Department of Transportation\n400 Seventh Street, S.W.\n00-0067\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nTuesday, February 29, 2000\nDear Mr. Mazzullo,\nMy client is contemplating a new venture, the distribution of vinegar and/or acetic acid. On one hand\nas class 8, UN2790, packing group III, a regulated substance. On the other hand while vinegar is not\nlisted in the HMR; vinegar is defined as a food by the FDA which may contain a mass of acetic acid far\ngreater than 11%. What's more, The FDA prohibit converging or applying the definition of vinegar with\nthe definition of acetic acid (enclosure).\nQuestion(s):\n1. Is there a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FDA on vinegar/acetic acid?\n2. Is vinegar containing eleven percent or more acetic acid regulated by the HAVIR?\n3. Can acetic acid be included in skin tests conducted with vinegar if both are dilute 11% or greater\nacetic acid solutions, especially if or when §173.136(b) may apply?\nClassification of this product, acetic acid/vinegar, is new to my client and application of the HMR will\ndepend on the DOT interpretation. Food manufacturers have a different opinion for vinegar and\ncurrently, may not be shipping vinegar as a HMR regulated substance.\nShould you require any other specific information on package size, intended end use or other necessary\ninformation about vinegar/acetic acid please do not hesitate to contact me, Bill Warder, at Air Freight\nCenter, Inc., voice 816 243 5535; fax 816 243 5581. Your assistance in helping us properly identifi\nvinegar/acetic acid for transportation will be very much appreciated.\nEnclosure: (1) Edited excerpts, Food Drug and Cosmetic Act\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\n02-28-00 14:49\nFrom-AIR FREIGHT CENTER\n+B162435581\nT-667 P.02/02 F-069\nFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act\nEdited Excerpts\nSec. 525.825 DEFINITIONS\nVinegar\ndifferent types or combinations of types of vinegars.\nHJ HEINZ - DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR\nNSN: 895000N048492\nMATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET\nPart No. Indicator: A\nManufecturer's CAGE: 73137\nPart Number/Trado Nama: DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR)\nSec. 562.100 Acetic Acid - Use in Foods...\nAcetic acid, if of suitable purity and used in accord with good manufacturing\npractices, is generally recognized as safe for use in foods. It should not,\nhowever, be used under conditions which result in consumer deception, such as\nmay result trom substitution of dilute acetic acid for vinegar in \"pickled\" foods.\n\"Acetic acid diluted - The product made by diluting acetic acid is not vinegar, and\nFood Inspection Decision 40, issued February 27, 192, included the following:\nwhen intended for food purposes must be free from harmful impurities and sold\nunder its own name.\"\nOrganoleptic triangulation findings using distilled vinegar and acetic acid samples\nshowed that distilled vinegar is readily distinguishable from dilute acetic acid.\nThese findings support our position that diluted acetic acid is not vinegar.\n(Emphasis added by author)","truncated":false,"body_characters":4925}