Shipping Hazardous Materials

The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) requires you be trained and certified before shipping hazardous materials. Even if someone else handles your shipment for you, you are responsible for packaging and labeling of hazardous materials correctly, and providing the required documentation.

Some examples of hazardous materials include hazardous chemicals, infectious substances, radioactive materials, compressed gases, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, lithium batteries and more.

WARNING: Failure to comply with regulations for shipping hazardous materials can result in significant civil penalties for the shipper of up to $75,000.00 per violation.

How do I know if my material is a hazardous material?

Hazardous Material is a substance or material that the Secretary of Transportation has determined is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce.

A hazardous material may be any biological, chemical, gas, or radioactive material which is defined as being hazardous per the Department of Transportation (DOT) and/or the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and/or the International Aviation Transportation Association (IATA).

The information for identifying/classifying hazardous materials can be found in the DOT Hazardous Materials Table or in the current IATA List of Dangerous Goods. Each material should be reviewed, identified, and classified on a case by case basis, as the IATA and DOT lists are quite extensive.

If you have a question about whether a substance or item you want to ship is a hazardous material or dangerous goods, contact the RA-EHS Office at (210) 784- 2822, vpantusa@tamusa.edu.