# General Chemical — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 05-0261
- **title:** General Chemical — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2005-11-04
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 05-0261 response to General Chemical concerning 172.101, 173.132.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-05-0261.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-05-0261.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-05-0261
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2005/050261.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

f Transportatic
S. Departmel
Washington, D.C. 20590
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration
DEC
1 2005
Ms. Kathleen Nese
Ref. No.: 05-0261
Manager, Product Stewardship and
General Chemical
Regulatory Affairs
90 E Halsey Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Dear Ms. Nese:
This is in response to your October 13, 2005 letter regarding determination of a proper
shipping name for a sodium nitrite solution under the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). According to your letter, the product you intend to offer for
transportation does not meet the definition of a Division 5.1 material as defined in § 173.127
and is better classified as a Division 6.1 material and described as "Toxic liquid, inorganic,
n.o.s. (sodium nitrite), 6.1, UN3287, PGIII." Specifically, you ask this office for consent to
make this determination.
In accordance with § 173.22, it is the shipper's responsibility to properly classify a hazardous
material and assign it a proper shipping name from the hazardous material Table (HMT;
§ 172.101). Such determinations are not required to be verfied by this Office. In accordance
with § 172.101(c)(12)(i), if it is specifically determined that a material meets the definition of
a hazard class, packing group or hazard zone, other than the class, packing group or hazard
zone shown in association with the proper shipping name, or does not meet the defining
criteria for a subsidiary hazard shown in Column 6 of the Table, the material must be
described by an appropriate proper shipping name listed in association with the correct
hazard class, packing group, hazard zone, or subsidiary hazard for the material. Provided the
sodium nitrite you offer for transportation meets the definition of a Division 6.1 material,
your classification is the most appropriate.
I hope this information is helpful. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to
contact this office.
Sincerely,
Hothe z Mitchel
Hattie L. Mitchell
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
173.132 (e)E)
172./01
050261

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Pollack
3113. 132(6)g)
3lsificatiar
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS DEPARTMENT
90 EAST HALSEY ROAD
05 OCT 19 PN 5:19
ELEPHONE: (973) 515-184
PARSIPPANY, NJ 07054
ACSIMILE: (973) 515-324
October 13, 2005
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
05-0261
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, DC 20590-0001
Attention: DHM-10
Re: Re-classification of Sodium Nitrite Solutions
To Whom It May Concern:
formulation and technical information for Sodium Nitrite Liquor solutions and determined that a re-
General Chemical, LLC is writing to inform the Department of Transportation that it has reviewed the
classification from Nitrites, inorganic, aqueous solutions, n.o.s., 5.1, UN3219, PGIII to Toxic liquid,
inorganic, n.o.s. (sodium nitrite), 6.1, UN3287, GIII is appropriate based on the following statistics:
• Sodium Nitrite solutions do not evolve oxygen until it is dried to a solid; therefore, the product
is not an oxidizer which is one of the characteristics which must be present in order to meet the
definition of a Class 5, Division 5.1 oxidizer as defined by the DOT criteria.
• Our previous designation of our Sodium Nitrite solutions as a Class 5, Division 5.l. was based on
the criteria set-forth under 49 CFR 173.132 (c)(2); however, this information classifies the
in the same concentration. We have now determined that 49 CFR 173.132 (c)(2) is not the most
mixture based on the most hazardous constituent, i.e. Sodium Nitrite (5.1), as if it were present
accurate way to classify the mixture since Sodium Nitrite solutions are not oxidizers as
General Chemical, LLC has data that supports a classification of Sodium Nitrite as a Class 6,
classified by 49 CFR 173.127.
the solutions based on the formula criteria set forth under 49 CFR 173.132 (c)(3). The formula
Division 6.1 toxic; therefore it is only appropriate that General Chemical determine the LDso of
has determined that the solutions have an LDso of 330 mg/kg and supports the ciassification as
Class 6, Division 6.1 toxic under these criteria.
We trust that the re-classification will meet your approval. On the basis of the foregoing, General
Chemical, LLC will make the change to the classification of Sodium Nitrite as indicated above. If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (973) 515-1840.
Sincerely,
Kithle Rese
Kathleen Nese
Manager, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs
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