{"operation":"document","citation":"12-0183","title":"Bureau of Explosives, TTC, Inc — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2012-10-31","effective_on":null,"summary":"12-0183 response to Bureau of Explosives, TTC, Inc concerning 172.327, 173.115.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0183.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0183.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0183","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2012/120183.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nOCT 3 12012\nMr. Paul Draper\nChief Inspector\nBureau of Explosives, TTC, Inc ..\n205 Kayla Lane\nLongview, TX 75602\nRef. No.: 12-0i83\nDear Mr. Draper:\nThis responds to your August 19, 2012letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous\nMaterials Regulations (HMR; 49 CPR Parts 171-180) applicable to petroleum sour crude\noil in bulk packaging. You ask about a shipment of petroleum sour crude oil containing\nhydrogen sulfide (i.e., sour crude oil) in sufficient concentration that the vapors may\npresent an inhalation hazard, thus requiring the material to be marked, labeled, tagged, or\nsigned to warn of the toxic inhalation hazard as required by § 172.327. Specifically, you\nask if the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) defines the term\n\"sufficient concentration\" for the purpose of determining whether the petroleum sour crude\noil must be marked as an inhalation hazard.\nThe answer is no. PHMSA does not establish a concentration level for hydrogen sulfide in\npetroleum sour crude oil in order to determine if the vapors are an inhalation hazard. To\ndetermine whether petroleum sour crude oil presents an inhalation hazard, it must be tested\nto determine if the material meets division 2.3 (gas poisonous by inhalation) as defined in\n§ 173.115(c) of the HMR. If the vapors in the petroleum sour crude oil meet the definition\nof a division 2.3 material, you must follow the marking and labeling requirements of\n§ 172.327.\nI trust this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nSincerely,\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nDrakeford, Carol\nFrom: Betts, Charles (PHMSA)\nSent:\nTo:\nSubject: Sunday, August 19, 2012 8:22PM\nDrakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA)\nFw: \"H2S\" Concentration in Sour Crude Oil\nCarolyn-\nPlease log and assign.\nThanks\n-----Original Message-----\nFrom: '''-'\"\"·'·\"'-'\"-'-\"'<I\"'=·-~--.-'\"\"''\"''-'~\"\"\"'·-'\"\" ~'-'··'·\"''\"-=·'\"·'';,;\"=\"---=-'\"'\"'-~·.:-'-·\"\"\"''-\"\"\"'·''·'·'-'\"\nSent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 09:51AM\nTo: Betts, Charles (PHMSA)\nSubject: Fw: \"H2S\" Concentration in Sour Crude Oil\nGood morning Mr. Betts, I hope all is well with you. As noted below, industry and the Bureau of Explosives Inspectors\nwould like a better understanding in regards to the the new regulation stated in 49 CFR Section 172.327. We would\nappreciate an official letter of interpretation (in regards to the intent of this requirement) so we can pass this\ninformation along to our customers who do ship petroleum sour crude. We would rather be pro-active with this new\nmarking requirement, rather than waiting on an individual to be harmed by vapors that do meet the criteria of a PIH and\nthe tank car not marked as stated. Thanks for your time.\nPaul Draper, Chief Inspector\nBureau of Explosives, TIC, Inc.\n205 Kayla Lane\nLongview, Texas 75602\nCell: 225-326-9065\n-----Forwarded by Paul Draper/TIC/AARon 08/19/2012 08:40AM-----\nFrom: Sam Chapman/TIC/ AAR\nTo: Paul Draper/TIC/AAR@AAR WASHINGTON\nDate: 08/18/2012 08:44 PM\nSubject:Fw: \"H2S\" Concentration in Sour Crude Oil\nFrom:\nTo:\nDate: 08/08/2012 03:45 PM\nSubject:RE: \"H2S\" Concentration in Sour Crude Oil\nPaul,\nI apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Per your question below, the explanation that I have received from the\nchemists here in our office is that the vapors need to be tested in accordance with 49 CFR 173.115(c) in order to\ndetermine if the vapors meet the definition of poisonous by\n1\n..\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\ninhalation. If the vapors meet this definition, then you must follow the\nrequirements of 49 CFR 172.327. If you need an official letter of interpretation on DOT letterhead, please feel free to\nsend a request to:\nMr. Charles Betts\nDirector, Office of Hazardous Materials Standards U.S. DOT/PHMSA (PHH-10)\n1200 New Jersey Avenue\nEast Building, 2nd Floor\nWashington, DC 20590\nThanks,\nCheryl\nCheryl West Freeman, P.E.\nGeneral Engineer\nU.S. Department of Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Engineering and Research\nDivision, PHH-20\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, DC 20590\n(202)366-4545\n-----Original Message-----\nFrom: ,-\"- \"\"\"\"\"\"-----'\"\"'·'''-L'.'-''-'--'<'--\"'\" \"-\"-'•' \"'·' :: .•. L,_,;'\"'\"-·-··c: ··'·'\"': ·;c'\"\"-~~ ,,_\nSent: Friday, July 20, 2012 9:06 PM\nTo: Freeman, Cheryl (PHMSA)\nCc:\n''·'\"\"--'·--·- ··\":·\nSubject: \"H2S\" Concentration in Sour Crude Oil\nAs we discussed at the Tank Car Committee meeting this week in Chicago, there is a concern in the chemical industry in\nregards to 49 CFR Section, which states;\n172.327 Petroleum sour crude oil in bulk packaging. A bulk packaging used to transport petroleum crude oil containing\nhydrogen sulfide (i.e. sour crude oil) in sufficient concentration that vapors evolved from the crude oil may present an\ninhalation hazard must include a marking, label, tag, or sign to warn of the toxic hazard as follows: see (a), (b), & (c).\nThe question that industry and the BOE needs answered is What would be considered to be \"sufficient concentration\"?\nWe would appreciate your comments and advising of such. Thanks.\nPaul Draper, Chief Inspector\nBureau of Explosives, TIC, Inc.\n205 Kayla Lane\nLongview, Texas 75602\nCell: 225-326-9065\n2\n-·-\n--~-- -~----·---------·------------","truncated":false,"body_characters":5446}