Fun with 49 CFR Hazardous Materials (DOT)

If you work in the field of hazardous materials and hazardous waste, then you are probably familiar with 49 CFR Subchapter A. This is where you can find the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations for shipping hazardous materials. You have to keep a good sense of humor when reading regulations or you will find yourself in a CFR-induced nap. Some of the tidbits and citations you can find in here are quite interesting. So let’s have some fun with 49 CFR.

I’m using photos taken of the actual printed CFR. Reading it off an electronic CFR is not nearly as enjoyable as coming across these in a big heavy book.

1. Black powder for small arms. This is for when a T-Rex has to ship black powder.

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2. The mass explosive, secondary detonator Dingu ate my baby.

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3. Krypton? Seriously? Good thing Superman’s home planet wasn’t regulated by the DOT.

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4. “Extreme annoyance or discomfort to a flight crew.” Just the flight crew? Not the passengers?

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5. Spontaneously combustible. This is for shipping a Spinal Tap drummer.

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6. Quizalofop? What the heck is quizalofop? (Just kidding. A good hazardous material manager knows everything there is to know about quizalofop.)

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7. “Full thickness destruction of human skin.” Who’s signing up for experimental testing of Class 8 corrosives?

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8. Here’s my favorite. The poor shaved albino bunny. Not that I want to harm animals. This always shocks people to know this is written in a government regulation.

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9. Fireworks is immediately followed by First aid kits and Fish meal. I don’t think this is the only place that the use of fireworks immediately created fish meal and a need for a first aid kit.

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10. To get serious for the last one. Here’s the fines you can get just for making mistakes on your shipping papers. All of these will double for 2015.

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