Beyond the Rule of Thumb
Survival Tip 21
By Steven De Lisi
When questioned regarding the contents of a cargo tank displaying the four-digit identification number 1203, many first responders instinctively reply, “Gasoline.” Some also believe that a cargo tank bearing the four-digit identification number 1993 always contains diesel fuel. Are these assumptions correct or are they dangerous myths passed down through generations of hazardous materials awareness training that tend to ignore important details?
To answer this question, a review of the 2004 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) reveals that hazardous materials assigned the four-digit identification number 1203 include not only gasoline, but also products known as motor spirit, petrol, and gasohol. The latter entry should be of particular concern to first responders, since gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol. This is a critical point to remember, since first responders who attempt to extinguish a fire involving gasohol using regular foam may not achieve desired results since the alcohol component of the burning fuel will weaken the foam blanket. Yet, their decision to use regular foam at first may appear sound if they assume that the product is gasoline, on which regular foam would be effective.
Likewise, hazardous materials assigned the four-digit identification number 1993 include, in addition to diesel fuel, fuel oil, various flammable and combustible liquids, liquid cleaning compounds and liquid medicines (both of which are flammable), and even liquid tree- or weed-killing compounds that are flammable. These cleaning compounds, assorted medicines, and tree- or weed-killing compounds may possess properties that pose health risks to first responders far beyond that of diesel fuel.
Despite the variety of hazardous materials assigned the four-digit identification numbers 1203 and 1993, it is all too common for first responders arriving on the scene of an overturned highway cargo tank or rail tank car displaying either of these identification numbers to state, “It’s just gasoline” or “It’s just diesel fuel.” This erroneous assumption is of particular concern when one considers that most adults use gasoline and diesel fuel as part of everyday life, if for nothing more to fuel their personal vehicles, and as such become complacent in their handling of these materials. However, when this lax approach influences the management of a hazardous materials incident and no effort made to further identify a product beyond the four-digit identification number, along with a subsequent failure to determine the material’s hazardous characteristics, whether these be a fuel mixture that contains alcohol or a material that presents health hazards beyond “just diesel fuel,” first responders may be well on their way to becoming casualties.
There are many other examples of multiple hazardous materials that are assigned the same four-digit identification number. Although these materials may share some similar characteristics, remember that there may also be specific characteristics worth noting that can significantly influence the health and safety of first responders, and that the only way to determine these characteristics is to conduct further research. This research includes identifying the material by name, such as by proper shipping name, chemical name, or trade name. This can be accomplished by reviewing the shipping papers or by noting the product names that may be stenciled on the outside of various transport tanks. Remember too that some materials may be identified by synonyms or different chemical names that refer to the same product. This is important, since two people may be speaking about the same material, yet using different names.
It is worth noting that proper shipping names are those found in the ERG and on shipping papers, while chemical names are usually displayed on product labels found on containers that may include small jars, large drums, cartons, and compressed gas cylinders. These labels usually include a product’s trade name or the name under which it is sold. As an example, consider the trade name household bleach. Although there may also be certain brand names that identify a specific manufacturer, there are many more generic labels for this product. Regardless of the brand, a review of the container label will reveal that most contain sodium hypochlorite in varying concentrations. An example includes a 6% concentration of sodium hypochlorite that yields 5.7% available chlorine.
The amount of available chlorine is important, since that figure then influences the determination of the proper shipping name to be used on shipping papers when the material is transported. As a result, this material would likely be shipped using the proper shipping name Hypochlorite solution, with more than 5% available Chlorine. This is the entry that would be found on the shipping papers and in the ERG.
First responders will not find entries in the ERG for sodium hypochlorite or household bleach. It is all too common to see first responders attempting to find information in the ERG using trade names or specific chemical names that are not used as proper shipping names. Once again though, first responders cannot assume that a hypochlorite solution with more than 5% available chlorine is just household bleach. Other products may use the same proper shipping name, and these may have hazardous characteristics beyond those familiar to us from our own personal use of bleach.
Once a product is properly identified by trade name or chemical name, a review of documents specific to the material, including material safety data sheets, is in order. Additional insight regarding a material’s hazardous characteristics can be gained by speaking to those knowledgeable about the material, including individuals who manufacture or use it.
Never forget that a failure to properly identify a product followed by an assumption of its hazards can have serious consequences for first responders.
Discussion Points
- Using the yellow-bordered pages of the current edition of the ERG, determine how often one four-digit identification number refers to multiple proper shipping names. Is it possible that, although most products will share similar characteristics, each may also possess certain hazardous characteristics that present first responders with specific dangers related to health or fire hazards?
- Using locally available material safety data sheets, determine if any include “synonyms” for chemical names. Remember that synonyms are different names that refer to the same product.
Click here for more info on Steven De Lisi’s book, Hazardous Materials Incidents: Surviving the Initial Response.
Steven M. De Lisi retired after a fire service career spanning 27 years that included serving as a regional training manager for the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) and most recently as the deputy chief for the Virginia Air Guard Fire Rescue. De Lisi is a hazardous materials specialist and continues to coordinate a statewide training program for the investigation of environmental crimes as an adjunct instructor for VDFP. De Lisi began his career in hazardous materials response in 1982 as a member of the HAZMAT team with the Newport News (VA) Fire Department. Since then, he has also served as a hazardous materials officer for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and in that capacity provided on-scene assistance to first responders involved with hazardous materials incidents in an area that included more than 20 local jurisdictions.
