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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations are in place to help protect the release of hazardous substances into the environment. The hazardous materials regulations (HMR) intersect with the EPA regulations in the area of hazardous substances and reportable quantities. The HMR references the EPA’s hazardous substance reportable quantities.
Reportable quantities are quantities of materials, if spilled or otherwise released into the environment, which would require certain reporting required by the EPA.
Scope
When preparing hazardous materials in preparation for transport, several steps are taken to ensure the material is properly classified. If a material is not listed in the hazardous materials table, then it may still be regulated in transport if it is a hazardous substance.
The hazardous substances listing is in Appendix A to 172.101. Within this listing are the hazardous substance reportable quantities. If transporting more than the reportable quantity of a hazardous substance, the material is a regulated hazardous material.
Regulatory citations
- 49 CFR 171.8 — Definitions and abbreviations
- Appendix A to 172.101 — List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities
Key definitions
- Hazardous substance: A material, including its mixtures and solutions, that:
- Is listed in the Appendix A to 172.101;
- Is in a quantity, in one package, which equals or exceeds the reportable quantity listed in the Appendix A to 172.101; and
- When in a mixture or solution, for radionuclides, conforms to paragraph 7 of the Appendix A to 172.101; or for other than radionuclides, is in a concentration by weight which equals or exceeds the concentration corresponding to the RQ of the material.
Summary of requirements
The reportable quantity is that quantity listed in Column 2 of Appendix A to 172.101 for each hazardous substance listed in Column 1 of Appendix A to 172.101. Hazardous substances and their corresponding reportable quantities are so designated under 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. 9601(14)(CERCLA; 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.).
The hazardous material is a hazardous substance if:
- The material is listed in Appendix A to 172.101,
- It exceeds the concentration limits, and
- The amount per package meets or exceeds the reportable quantity (RQ).
An example of a reportable quantity is ethlyene glycol. Ethylene glycol is not listed in the hazardous materials table, but it is listed as a hazardous substance with a reportable quantity of 5,000 pounds.
See Hazardous Substances for information on this topic.