# Department of the Army — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 06-0137
- **title:** Department of the Army — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2006-09-11
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 06-0137 response to Department of the Army concerning 171.2, 172.101, 172.301.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0137.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0137.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0137
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2006/060137.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

I.S. Departmen
f Transportatio
Washington, D.C. 20590
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration
SEP 1 1 2006
Physical Scientist
Ms. Lauren Oleksyk
Reference No.: 06-0137
epartment of the Arm
'ombat Feeding Directorat
Kansas Street
Natick, MA 01760-5018
Dear Ms. Oleksyk:
This responds to your letter concerning transportation of a heater that is a component in a
Unitized Group Ration - Express (UGR-E) under the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). You ask how packages containing UGR-Es must be
marked and labelled if they are determined to be subject to the HMR.
You describe the UGR-E as a self-contained, self-heating module that provides a complete
meal for up to 18 personnel, with heaters and trays of food packaged together in an
intermediate fiberboard box. A module has four heaters, each containing 85 grams of
magnesium alloy powder, for a total of 340 grams per module. In the Type I version, the
four heaters are hermetically sealed within a tri-laminate pouch and placed on top of the
inner heating module case. In the Type II version, each hermetically sealed heater is
mL solution of 1.5% salt in water which is dispensed from a pouch assembled within each
placed in the bottom of the heating tray. The individual heaters are activated with a 300
heating tray. The outer packaging of each module is a fiberboard box with the completed
four heaters generate approximately 11 cubic feet of hydrogen gas. Your correspondence
package weighing approximately 42 pounds. During the 45-minute heating process, the
included illustrations and assembly instructions for both types of UGR-E, as well as a
Material Safety Data Sheet; you also provided a prototype of each module type sans
heaters, and one Type I heater pouch containing four heaters.
Based on the information you provided, the most appropriate shipping description for the
L'GR-E is "Magnesium alloys, powder, 4.3, UN 1418, PG II." The HMR do not authorize
any exceptions in column (8A) for this entry; therefore, the UGR-Es are fully regulated.
When offered for transportation in commerce, in addition to meeting the specification
§ 172.301 (proper shipping name, identification number, etc.) and labeled with the
packaging requirements in § 173.212, non-bulk packages must be marked as specified in
DANGEROUS WHEN WET label in accordance with Subpart E of 49 CFR Part 172. For
transportation by aircraft, packages prepared in accordance with the International Civil
Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Technical Instructions must also be marked with the
name and address of the shipper and consignee.
171.2
172.30/
060137
192.101

<<<PAGE 2>>>

You may wish to seek relief from some of the requirements detailed in the previous
paragraph under the terms of a special permit by contacting the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration's Office of Hazardous Materials Special Permits and
Approvals (OHMEA). Special permits are granted on a case-by-case basis. Procedures for
reached at (202) 366-4512.
applying for a special permit are set forth in 49 CFR 107.105. The OHMEA may be
I trust this satisfies your request.
Sincerely,
Hathe zi intatel
Hattie L. Mitchell
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

<<<PAGE 3>>>

Corbin
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
$171.2
NATICK MA 01760-5018
KANSAS STREET
$172.101
REPLY TO
ATTENTION OF : AMSRD-NSC-CF-|
12 May 200
06-0137
U.S. Department of Transportation
Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration
400 7* Street Southwest
Office of Hazardous Material Safety
Washington, DC 20590
06 MAY 24
DOT/RSPA / OHMS
(HMR) for Proposed Military Ration, Unitized Group Ration-Express.
1. Subject: Request for U.S. DOT Interpretation of Hazardous Materials Regulations 3
2. References:
14
a. U.S. DOT letter, July 7, 1992: Flameless Ration Heater (FRH) for Meal, Ready-to-
. U.S. DOT-E 10897, October 26, 1992: Exemption of bulk packed FRHs fron
Eat considered not subject to Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). (Encl 1)
HMR marking and labeling. (Encl 2)
regulated when packaged within the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) standard combat ration.
However, the UGR-E heater is a larger heater, does not contain salt in the powder blend,
requested.
4. NSC is in the process of procuring 220 UGR-E rations for shipment to Iraq in May
CR 172.301 and 172.400 and previous decisions regarding the FRH, we request your
opinion on whether or not UGR-E Type I and Type II packages are subject to HMR. If the
UGR-E is found to be subject to HMR, please specify what HM markings and labels are
required for both domestic and international shipment via ground or air.

<<<PAGE 4>>>

AMSRD-NSC-CF-I
5. Questions or comments may be directed to Lauren Oleksyk, Tel: (508) 233-4555 or
email lauren.oleksyk@natick.army.mil, or Peter Lavigne, Tel: (508) 233-4939 or email
peter.lavigne@natick.army.mil. Thank you for your attention to the matter.
LAUREN OLEKSYK
Combat Feeding Directorate
Physical Scientist
Natick Soldier Center
Enclosures:
1. U.S. DOT letter, July 7, 1992
2. U.S. DOT-E 10897
3. Description of proposed Unitized Group Ration - Express (UGR-E), Type 1 and
4. Material Safety Data Sheet for UGR-E heater.
Type II.
2
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