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The difference between hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods

Posted Date:2023/12/1

I. Definition of hazardous chemicals

In general, a hazardous chemical is any substance or mixture that may cause harm to facilities/property, human health and the environment. A more technical definition is based on the United Nations GHS Purple Book - the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Any substance or mixture that meets the GHS classification criteria for physical, health and environmental hazards is considered a hazardous chemical.

Different countries have slightly different definitions of "hazardous chemicals", but they are basically the same, and they are all based on the definition of hazardous chemicals in the United Nations GHS. For example, China's definition of hazardous chemicals is as follows:

According to Article 3 of the General Provisions of the Regulations on the Management of Hazardous Chemicals of China, and the definition and determination principles of hazardous chemicals in Article 1 of the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals:

Definition: highly toxic chemicals and other chemicals with toxic, corrosive, explosive, combustion, combustive and other properties that are harmful to human body, facilities and the environment.

Determination principle: The varieties of hazardous chemicals are determined from the following categories of hazardous and hazardous characteristics according to the national standard for chemical classification and Labeling (GB 30000.2-X-2013 Series Standard for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) :

Physical hazards: Explosives: Unstable explosives, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4; Flammable gases: Class 1, Class 2, chemically unstable gases Class A, chemically unstable gases class B; Aerosols (also called aerosols) : Category 1 etc

Health hazards: Acute toxicity: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3; Skin corrosion/irritation: Category 1A, Category 1B, Category 1C, Category 2; Severe eye injury/eye irritation: Category 1, Category 2A, Category 2B, etc

Environmental hazards: Hazards to the aquatic environment - Acute hazards: Category 1, Category 2; Hazards to aquatic environment - Long-term hazards: Category 1, Category 2, Category 3; Hazards to ozone layer: Category 1.

For hazardous chemicals, specific classification information can be displayed through safety data sheets (SDS) and GHS labels in GHS format. To find out whether a product is a hazardous chemical, first check whether the product is a chemical substance or mixture, and then assess whether it meets the GHS classification criteria.

II. Definition of dangerous goods

Dangerous goods are solids, liquids or gases that can harm people, other living things, property or the environment. In the United States and Canada, dangerous goods are often referred to as dangerous goods. Any goods that are included in the Dangerous Goods list or meet the classification criteria of the nine categories of dangerous goods will be considered dangerous goods.

Dangerous goods must comply with strict transport regulations. No person shall offer or accept dangerous goods for transport unless they have been properly classified, packed, marked, labelled, sloganised, described and attested on the transport document. Dangerous goods are usually assigned United Nations numbers and appropriate transport designations.

To find out if a hazardous chemical is dangerous, refer to section 14 of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to see if the UN number is listed. If so, the chemical product is classified as dangerous goods.

III. The difference between hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods

Not all hazardous chemicals are classified as dangerous goods, and there are only 9 categories of dangerous goods. Even CMR (carcinogenic, teratogenic or reproductive toxic) substances, which are considered to be the biggest health concern among GHS, may not be classified as Category 9 dangerous goods.

And dangerous goods include not only dangerous chemicals, but also articles. For example, airbags and lithium batteries are dangerous goods. However, they are not considered hazardous chemicals.

Chemicals classified as dangerous goods are usually hazardous chemicals. The only exceptions are infectious substances/mixtures and radioactive substances/mixtures. They are included in the 9 categories of dangerous Goods but are not included in the GHS classification standard.

Therefore, sometimes when a product is defined as a hazardous chemical, it cannot be immediately equated with dangerous goods, and it is still very different from dangerous goods, and professional judgment should be made in combination with the corresponding standards.