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USDOT HazMat Placards

Division 6.1 Poisons
49CFR 173.132

Poisonous material (Division 6.1) means a material, other than a gas, which is known to be so toxic to humans as to afford a hazard to health during transportation, or which, in the absence of adequate data on human toxicity:

1. Is presumed to be toxic to humans because it falls within any one of the following categories when tested on laboratory animals (whenever possible, animal test data that has been reported in the chemical literature should be used):
   1. Oral Toxicity. A liquid with an LD₅₀ for acute oral toxicity of not more than 500 mg/kg or a solid with an LD₅₀ for acute oral toxicity of not more than 200 mg/kg.
   2. Dermal Toxicity. A material with an LD₅₀ for acute dermal toxicity of not more than 1000 mg/kg.
   3. Inhalation Toxicity.
      1. A dust or mist with an LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation of not more than 10 mg/L; or
      2. A material with a saturated vapor concentration in air at 20 °C (68 °F) of more than one-fifth of the LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation of vapors and with an LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation of vapors of not more than 5000 ml/m³; or
2. Is an irritating material, with properties similar to tear gas, which causes extreme irritation, especially in confined spaces.

Inhalation Hazard

Any quanity of a material that is in Hazard Zone A or B (see Assignment of packing groups and hazard zones below).

ERG GUIDE NUMBER: 153

Poison

454 kg (1001 lbs.) or more gross weight of poisonous materials that are not in Hazard Zone A or B (see Assignment of packing groups and hazard zones below).

ERG GUIDE NUMBER: 153

Toxic

May be used instead of POISON placard on 454 kg (1001 lbs.) or more gross weight of poisonous materials that are not in Hazard Zone A or B (see Assignment of packing groups and hazard zones below).

ERG GUIDE NUMBER: 153

PG III (Packing Group III)

May be used instead of POISON placard on 454 kg (1001 lbs.) or more gross weight of Poison PG III materials (see Assignment of packing groups and hazard zones below).

ERG GUIDE NUMBER: 153

LD₅₀ (Lethal Dose 50)
49CFR 173.132(b)

1. LD₅₀ for acute oral toxicity means that dose of the material administered to both male and female young adult albino rats which causes death within 14 days in half the animals tested. The number of animals tested must be sufficient to give statistically valid results and be in conformity with good pharmacological practices. The result is expressed in mg/kg body mass.
2. LD₅₀ for acute dermal toxicity means that dose of the material which, administered by continuous contact for 24 hours with the shaved intact skin (avoiding abrading) of an albino rabbit, causes death within 14 days in half of the animals tested. The number of animals tested must be sufficient to give statistically valid results and be in conformity with good pharmacological practices. The result is expressed in mg/kg body mass.

LC₅₀ (Lethal Concentration 50):
49CFR 173.132(b)

3. LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation means that concentration of vapor, mist, or dust which, administered by continuous inhalation for one hour to both male and female young adult albino rats, causes death within 14 days in half of the animals tested. If the material is administered to the animals as a dust or mist, more than 90 percent of the particles available for inhalation in the test must have a diameter of 10 microns or less if it is reasonably foreseeable that such concentrations could be encountered by a human during transport. The result is expressed in mg/L of air for dusts and mists or in mL/m³ of air (parts per million) for vapors. See 49CFR 173.133(b) for LC₅₀ determination for mixtures and for limit tests.
   1. When provisions of this subchapter require the use of the LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation of dusts and mists based on a one-hour exposure and such data is not available, the LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation based on a four-hour exposure may be multiplied by four and the product substituted for the one-hour LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation.
   2. When the provisions of this subchapter require the use of the LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation of vapors based on a one-hour exposure and such data is not available, the LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation based on a four-hour exposure may be multiplied by two and the product substituted for the one-hour LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation.
   3. A solid substance should be tested if at least 10 percent of its total mass is likely to be dust in a respirable range, e.g. the aerodynamic diameter of that particle-fraction is 10 microns or less. A liquid substance should be tested if a mist is likely to be generated in a leakage of the transport containment. In carrying out the test both for solid and liquid substances, more than 90% (by mass) of a specimen prepared for inhalation toxicity testing must be in the respirable range as defined in this paragraph (b)(3)(iii).

CONTINUED...

Last updated: Feb 2007

Related Resources

• Guide for Handling Household Chemicals
  Things you can do to make your home safer.
• USDOT Hazardous Materials Table 49 CFR 172.101
  An online version of the USDOT hazardous materials table from 49CFR 172.101. This table can be sorted by proper shipping name, UN/NA ID and/or by primary hazard class/division.
• ERG (Emergency Response Guidebook)
  Have you ever wondered what those four digit numbers on the placards on the side of trucks and rail cars mean? Our online 2004ERG will give you your answer. This is an online version of the guidebook produced by the USDOT for first responders during the initial phase of a Dangerous goods/HazMat incident.
• Chemical Database
  This database focuses on the most common chemical compounds used in the home and industry.

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While excerpts from the Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 (49CFR) and the "Emergency Response Guidebook" are in the public domain, the image files on these pages, the design of these pages as well as all other materials on this site and graphics files are copyrighted by J.K. Barbalace, inc. Copyrighted material on this site, including graphics files, MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED in any form without the express permission.

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To ensure regulatory compliance when transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods, one must receive proper training and certification from a qualified instructor and refer to the current year's Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 (49CFR) or your country's shipping regulations. In matters regarding workplace safety, refer to current OSHA regulations (29CFR) and NIOSH guidelines or your own country's health and safety regulations. No one should ever enter into a hazardous environment without proper training from qualified instructors.

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Kenneth Barbalace. USDOT HazMat Placards - Division 6.1 Poisons. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2024. Accessed on-line: 12/21/2024
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