# Tetra Micronutrients — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 08-0246
- **title:** Tetra Micronutrients — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2008-10-16
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 08-0246 response to Tetra Micronutrients concerning 172.101, 177.817.
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- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-08-0246.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-08-0246
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2008/080246.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department
of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
Ms. Becky Beasley
Traffic Manager
Tetra Micronutrients
7 1025 569 Avenue
Fairbury, NE 68352
Ref. No. 08-0246
Dear Ms. Beasley:
This responds to your September, 25 2008 letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous
Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 17 1-1 80). Specifically, you ask for the HMR
requirements applicable to paperwork, packaging, loading, driver training, and transporting a
material classed as "Environmentally hazardous substance, solid n.o.s., Class 9, UN 3077,
PG I11 (zinc sulfate)," in 50 and 2,000 pound bags and 25-35 ton bulk loads. In addition,
you ask if the CLASS 9 placard is required on the vehicle or packages.
A Class 9 material transported by highway is subject to the shipping paper requirements in
Part 172, Subpart C and 177.817; the packaging requirements in Column 8 of the
Hazardous Materials Table (HMT; § 172.101); and the requirements in Part 177, including
driver training, loading, unloading, and carriage requirements. A CLASS 9 placard is not
required for domestic transportation (see § 172.504(0(9)). However, each non-bulk package
(e.g. 50 pound bag) must be marked with the proper shipping name and identification
number as provided by fj 172.301 and must have a CLASS 9 label as provided by 172.400.
Bulk packages (e.g., 2,000 pound bag and 25-35 ton bulk load) containing a Class 9 material
must be marked with the appropriate identification number displayed on a CLASS 9 placard,
an orange panel, or a white-square-on-point display configuration.
You should also note that a hazardous substance is defined in 5 17 1.8 as a material,
including its mixtures and solutions, that is listed in Appendix A to 172.101, and is in a
quantity, in one package, that equals or exceeds the reportable quantity (RQ) for the material
listed in Appendix A. Zinc sulfate is listed in Appendix A with an RQ of 1,000 pounds. The
50 pound bag you describe may not meet the definition of a hazardous substance as defined
in tj 171.8, because the amount in each bag does not exceed the RQ for zinc sulfate.
I hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if you require additional assistance.
Sincerely,
Susan Gorsky
Acting Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

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Tetra Micronutrients
71 025 569 Avenue 3 / 7 2 . to 1
QpPl ~'c~b,'I;
0s-02 Ly
MICRONUTRIEN7S Tel: 402.729.61 91
Fax: 402.729.6088
Fairbury, NE 68352 Web: www.tetramicron.com
4 '
, ,
, *
September 25,2008 . .
Transportation Regulations Specialist
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
400 Seventh St. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Attn: Transportation Regulations Specialist
Tetra Micro Nutrients manufactures Zinc Sulfate Products. The material is described as
"Environmentally hazardous substance, solid, n.o.s., class 9, UN 3077, III" transported in
50# bags, 2000# bags and in bulk form. We were under the understanding that anything
in bulk form needed to be placarded. We have been malung sure every load that is
shipped out of facility in bulk has a placard on all sides of the trucWtrailer and make sure
that the truck driver is hazardous certified. We have been informed by a trucking
company that picks up numerous loads on a regular basis from our facility that the
miscellaneous class 9 does not need to be placarded but the container or bags need the
correct classification number on the container or bags. They also mentioned the drivers
don't need to be hazmat certified but do need to have the hamat training.
I need a letter from your office that states what the regulations are regarding paperwork,
packaging, loading and transporting of our Zinc Sulfate products in 50# bags, 2000# bags
and in 25-35 ton bulk loads. If this is not within the scope of your department, please let
me know whom I would need to contact.
Thank you for your help in this matter.
Sincerely,
Becky Beasley V '
Traffic Manager
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