DCHAS-L Archives Mar 05 2009 - Re: Hydroquinone UN number

Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 17:12:36 -0500
Reply-To: Don Wanamaker <dwanamaker**At_Symbol_Here**EMLWEB.COM>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Don Wanamaker <dwanamaker**At_Symbol_Here**EMLWEB.COM>
Organization: Environmental Management, Ltd.
Subject: Re: Hydroquinone UN number
Comments: To: "James A. Boehlert" <boehlert**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>

Kristiley,

I agree with James since hydroquinone is a hazardous substance with a reportable quantity (RQ) of 100 lbs. When offering a package for off-site shipment with a RQ within the package there are additional marking (RQ on the outside of the package- near the marked proper shipping name) and shipping paper description (RQ either before or after the basic description) requirements. It sounds like you may be shipping a Class 9 material. Depending on the quantity of hydroquinone within the package, assuming there are no other hazards mixed in, it may or may not be regulated as a hazardous material by the DOT. Can there be more than 100#s of hydroquinone in the package?

The "old DOT description" you referred to identifies a poisonous material (Division 6.1). Are you sure someone didn't look up benzoquinone on the DOT Hazardous Materials Table by mistake? Does your hydroquinone (misture or solution?) meet the definition of a 6.1 hazardous material (see 49 CFR 173.132).

Since DOT (and emergency responders) don't like it when a shipper "errs on the side of caution" (i.e.; overkill) and declares a package as being hazardous when it's not, you may want to keep asking questions. It's Ok to ask DOT.

Good luck,

Don Wanamaker
Environmental Management, Ltd.
845-429-1141

----- Original Message -----

From: James A. Boehlert

To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU

Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 11:19 AM

Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Hydroquinone UN number

Kristi-ley,

& nbsp; Hydroquinone has not been given a specific proper shipping name by the US Department of Transportation. It is to the discretion of the shipper to provide a non-specific shipping name to the materials. =93Environmentally Hazardous Substances, liquid, n.o.s. UN3082, PG III=94 or =93Environmentally Hazardous Substance, solid, n.o.s. UN3077, PG III=94 is usually most appropriate for hydroquinone and solutions thereof. The n.o.s. (not otherwise specified) indicated the material is not given a specific shipping name such as =93Hydroquinone, UN####, PG###. Shipping the material as a 6.1 toxic isn=92t necessarily wrong, it=92s just a little overkill.

Best Regards,

Jim

James A. Boehlert Jr.

Program Manager - Chemical Safety

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princeton University

Dept. of Environmental Health & Safety

262 Alexander Street

Princeton, NJ 08544

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

609-258-7882 (voice)

609-258-1804 (fax)

From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of kristi-ley kahulugan
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:48 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Hydroquinone UN number

Dear all,

Does anyone know the current UN# for Hydroquinone CAS# 123-31-9?

I was informed that below is the older UN#:

UN Number: 2662 (Class 6.1 Poison P.G. III)

Some MSDS (revised on 2008) for Hydroquinone 90-100% has a UN/NA: UN3077 and other MSDS made 2007 and below has UN #2662 (Class 6.1 Poison PG III). All other properties are the same (CAS, % purity, properties, etc) except for the UN#.

Please help.

Thank you,

Kristi-ley Kahulugan, CPhT

Quality Control Supervisor

Westco Chemicals, Inc

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