# URS Corporation — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 04-0161
- **title:** URS Corporation — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2004-02-11
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 04-0161 response to URS Corporation concerning 172.101.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-04-0161.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-04-0161.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-04-0161
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2004/040161.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department
of Transportation
FEB 1 1 2004
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Special Programs
Research and
Administration
Mr. Andrew N. Romach
Ref. No. 04-0161
Corporate Regulatory Manager
URS Corporation
1600 Perimeter Park Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
Dear Mr. Romach:
This responds to your letter requesting our assistance in
determining the correct shipping description for a metal powder,
in a flammable liquid under the Hazardous Materials Regulations
which meets the definition of a flammable solid, when suspended
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts. 171-180).
You posed a scenario of a
material, Aluminum powder coated, 4.1, UN1309, PG II, suspended
in a flammable liquid (solvent) mixture that has a flash point
of about 63°F (Class 3, PG II). It is your understanding that
10853, Be Than 15C
there are no proper shipping names listed in the S 172.101
Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) for these mixtures except for
Zirconium suspended in a liquid, UN1308. I apologize for the
delay
in responding
and any inconvenience it may have caused.
You are correct that no specific or generic description for your
material currently exists in the HMT. In your scenario,
provided the aluminum powder is compatible with the flammable
liquid in your mixture and the overall mixture does not meet the
should be described as. "Flammable liquids, n.o.s. (1-methoxy-2-
definition of another hazard class, it is our opinion that it
propyl acetate, Xylene), 3, UN1993, PG II. " We anticipate
proposing generic descriptions in the HMT for scenarios such as
yours in a future rulemaking.
I trust this satisfies your inquiry.
Please contact us if we
can be of further assistance.
Hate z nicho
Hattie I. Mitchell
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
172.101
040161

<<<PAGE 2>>>

URS Corporation
URS
Morrisville, NC 27560
1600 Perimeter Park Drive
Fax: 919.461.1371
Tel: 919.461.1220
July 6, 2004
andy_romach@urscorp.com
Stevens
Mr. Ed Mazzullo, Director
Office of Hazardous Material Standards
Research and Special Programs Administration
5172.101.
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, SW (DHM-10)
Proper Shipping Name
FAX: (202) 366-3012
Washington, DC 20590-0001
04-8161
Dear Mr. Mazzullo:
I am writing to you to request a written regulatory interpretation clarifying what would be the most
appropriate proper shipping name to use when transporting a metal powder that meets the definition of a
flammable solid, when it is suspended in a flammable liquid. In the Hazardous Material Table (49 CFR
suspended in a liquid.'
173.101), I found a proper shipping name that addressed a specific metal powder, zirconium: Zirconium
roper shipping name lists a primary hazard class of Class 3 but lists no subsidiary hazards. Three
Dry zirconium is classified as a 4.2; wetted zirconium is classified as a 4.1.) Thi:
account, it would appear that the flammable liquid would become the primary and only conveyed hazard
packing groups are listed, dictated by the flashpoint of the flammable liquid. Taking this precedence into
for a flammable solid suspended in a flammable liquid.
Coated, 4.1, UN1309, PGII) suspended in a solvent mixture of xylene and 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate,
A specific scenario that I recently encountered is an aluminum flake (classified as Aluminum Powder
with overall solution flashpoint of about 63°F (Class 3, PGII):
Chemical Name
CAS No.
Weight%
1-Methoxy-2-propyl acetate
108-65-6
40-50%
Aluminum Powder
7429-90-5
50-60%
Xylene
1330-20-7
5-10%
suspended in a flammable liquid, n.o.s.; or Metal powder, flammable, suspended in a flammable liquid,
I was unable to find a generic proper shipping name to describe this scenario, such as: Flammable solid,
n.o.s.
What would be the appropriate proper shipping name for the above-described solution? If a generic
proper shipping name is selected, what would be the appropriate technical names to list and in what
order?
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Alike
Andrew N. Romach
Corporate Regulatory Manager
URS Corporation
' In the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of
the ongoing move toward harmonization, it would seem the DOT should align its proper shipping name with ICAO.
Dangerous Goods by Air, the comparable proper shipping name is: Zirconium suspended in a flammable liquid. In
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