Chapter 32: Understanding the Hazards

What are the types of IM tanks?

-IM-101 portable tanks (IMO model 1 internationally) have a capacity of 6300 gallons and internal working pressures ranging from 25.4 psi to 100 psi. These containers are often used to transport mildly corrosive, food-grade materials, as well as flammable liquids. -IM-102-portable tanks (IMO type 2 internationally) have a 6300-gallon capacity, with internal working pressures between 14.7 psi and 25.4 psi. They primarily carry nonhazardous materials but many also contain flammable liquids and corrosives. -Pressure intermodel tanks (IMO type 5 internationally or DOT Spec 51) are high-pressure vessels with internal pressures in the range of 100-600 psi. These intermodal containers commonly hold liquified compressed gases such as propane and butane. -Cryogenic intermodel tanks (IMO type 7 internationally) are low-pressure containers in transport but can be pressurized to 600 psi. This kind of container commonly carries cryogenic materials that have temperatures less than -150 degrees F (-101 D C), such as liquified oxygen, nitrogen, or helium. -Tube model consists of several high-pressure tubes attached to a frame. The tubes are individually specified and have working pressures that range as high as 5000 psi. The products commonly carried include hydrogen and oxygen.

What information must you have when calling CHEMTREC (1-800-424-9300)?

-Name of the chemical(s) involved in the incident (if known). - Name of the caller and callback # - Location of the actual incident or problem -Shipper or manufacturer of the chemical (if known) -Container type -Railcar or vehicle marking or #s - Shipping carrier's name -Recipient of material -Local conditions and exact description of the situation

What are the five major categories that the most common types of containers and packages used to store radioactive materials are divided into?

1. Excepted Packaging 2. Industrial Packaging 3. Type A 4. Type B 5. Type C

What is an example of Secondary Containment?

A 5000-gallon vertical storage tank, may be surrounded by a series of short walls commonly referred to as dikes or berms that form a catch basin around the vessel.

Explain the build of an IM tank.

A box-like steel framework, constructed to facilitate efficient stacking and shipping, surrounds an IM tank.

What is a low-pressure chemical cargo tank? Explain the build.

A vehicle that is like the non-pressure liquid cargo tank. Used to transport flammable liquids, mild corrosives, and poisons. Has a round or horseshoe-shaped tank and can hold 6000 to 7000 gallons of liquid. Maybe insulated (horseshoe) or uninsulated (round); may have a higher internal working pressure than the non-pressure liquid cargo tank-in some cases up to 35 psi.

What is The National Response Center (NRC)?

An agency maintained and staffed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

How does the Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 171.8(2) ,or local jurisdictional regulations define a Cargo Tank?

Bulk packaging that is permanently attached to or forms a part of a motor vehicle or is not permanently attached to any motor vehicle and is loaded or unloaded without being separated from the vehicle due to its scale, construction, or connection to a motor vehicle.

What do ton containers usually contain?

Commonly hold compressed liquified gases such as chlorine and sulfur dioxide, although you may encounter some select refrigerant fluorocarbon gases such as trichlorofluoromethane (Freon-11) and dichlorodifluoromethan (Freon-12).

Explain Dry Bulk Cargo Trailers. Where are they commonly seen?

Commonly seen on the road. They carry dry bulk goods such as powders, pellets, fertilizers, or grain. Not pressurized but may use pressure to offload the product. Are generally V-Shaped with rounded sides that funnel the contents to the bottom-mounted valves.

What are the most common special-use railcar emergency responders may encounter?

Cryogenic liquid tank cars. They illustrate an important concept for the emergency responder: the hazard will be unique to the railcar and its contents, and the responder will need to pay attention to the details and features of each type.

How can one define Bulk Packaging (Large-volume containers)?

Defined by it's internal capacity based on the following: -A maximum capacity greater than 450 liters (119 gallons) - A maximum net mass greater than 400 kg (882 pounds) and a maximum capacity greater than 450 liters (119 gallons) as a receptacle for a solid - A water capacity greater than 454 kg (1000 pounds) as a receptacle for a gas Simply, non-bulk packages have volumes less than those listed.

Explain Type A packaging.

Designed to protect the internal radiological contents during normal transportation and in the event of a minor accident. Must withstand moderate degrees of heat, cold, reduced air pressure, vibration, impact, water spray, drop, penetration, and stacking tests.

What do some commonly encountered containers include? What do they represent?

Drums, carboys, and compressed gas cylinders. These examples represent a classification of containers called NON-BULK PACKAGING.

This acronym can be found in NFPA 473, Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.

E- Evaluate the scene for likely areas where secondary devices can be placed. V- Visually snag operating areas for a secondary device before providing patient care. A- Avoid touching or moving anything hat can cancel an explosive device. D- Designate and enforce scene control zones. E- Evacuate victims, other responders, and nonessential personnel as quickly and safely as possible.

True or False? Railroads move thousands of carloads of chemicals and other freight each year in the United States, with relatively few accidents.

False. Railroads move MILLIONS of carloads of chemicals and other freight each year in the United States, with relatively few accidents.

Explain Type B Packaging.

Far more durable than Type A and is designed to prevent a release in the case of extreme accidents during transportation. Life-endangering amounts of radioactive material are required to be transported in Type B packages. Often used for air transportation.

Why might Freight Containers be difficult for first responders?

Freight containers are used to transport goods on trucks, ships, and railcars and may be challenging for a responder due to the wide variety of goods and materials transported inside.

Describe the build of a High-Pressure Cargo Tank

Has rounded ends, typical of a pressurized vessel, and is commonly constructed of steel and stainless steel with a single tank compartment. Equipped with spring-loaded relief valves that traditionally operate at 110 percent of the designated maximum working pressure.

Define: Carries materials such as ammonia, propane, freon, and butane.

High-Pressure Cargo Tank

Explain the shipping process for an IM/IMO.

In most cases, an IM tank is hipped to a facility, where it is stored and used, and then returned to the shipper for refilling. Intermodal tanks can be shipped by all methods of transportation-air, sea, or land.

Where are bulk storage containers commonly found?

In occupancies that rely on and need to store large quantities of a substance.

Define: Typically carry general industrial chemicals and consumer products such as corn syrup, flammable and combustible liquids, and mild corrosives.

Low-Pressure tank cars. Have visible valves and piping without protective housing on top of the car and internal vapor pressures less than 25 psi. May hold volumes ranging from 4000 to 40,000 gallons.

In their normal states, most nerve agents are liquids. To be an effective weapon how do nerve agents need to be dispersed?

Must be dispersed in aerosol form or be broken down into fine droplets so that it can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

What is one of the most common and reliable transportation vessels? What do they frequently carry?

Non-pressure Liquid Cargo Tanks (MC-306/DOT 406 Cargo Tank). Frequently carries liquid food-grade products, gasoline, or other flammable and combustible liquids.

At what psi do High-Pressure Cargo Tanks work at?

Operates at approximately 300 psi, with typical internal working pressures being near 250 psi.

What is a Cryogenic Liquid Cargo Tank (MC-338)?

Operates much like the cryogenic intermodal container described earlier and carries many of the same substances. This low-pressure tank relies on tank insulation to maintain the low temperatures required for the cryogens it carries. They have a relief valve near the valve control box.

Define: Transports materials such as propane, ammonia, ethylene oxide, and chlorine.

Pressure Tank Cars. These cars have internal working pressures ranging from 100-500 psi and are equipped with top-mounted fittings for loading and unloading. Unfortunately, the high volumes carried in these can generate long-duration, high-pressure leaks that may prove difficult to control.

What are some other examples of special-use railcars?

Railway gondolas used to carry items such as lumber, scrap metal, coal, and pipes; boxcars that carry consumer goods, industrial supplies, and a multitude of boxes and palletized goods.

How much can a ton container hold up? What are the measurements of one?

Regardless of the material inside, these vessels hold 2000 pounds of product (hence the name, ton container) and are 8ft in length and 3ft in diameter.

What are the symptoms of Nerve Agent Exposure?

S: Salivation (drooling) L: Lacrimation (tearing) U: Urination D: Defecation G: Gastric upset (upset stomach, vomiting) E: Emesis (vomiting) M: Miosis (pinpoint pupils) Symptoms of the exposure will become evident in minutes!!!!!

Define: an engineered method to control spilled or released product if the main containment vessel fails.

Secondary Containment

Define a Secondary Device.

Some form of explosive of incendiary device designed to harm those responders summoned to the scene for some other reason.

Who doesn't view tube trailers (which consist of several individual cylinders banded together and affixed to a trailer) as cargo tanks?

The U.S. Department of Transportation

What is the liquid volume of a High-Pressure Cargo Tank?

The liquid volume inside the tank varies, ranging from the 1000-gallon delivery truck to the full-size 11,000-gallon cargo tank.

Explain the build of a Non-pressure liquid cargo tank.

The oval-shaped tank is pulled by a diesel (or liquified natural gas [LNG] or compressed natural gas [CNG]) tractor and can carry between 6000 and 10,000 gallons of product. Usually made of aluminum or stainless steel, and loaded and offloaded through valves at the bottom of the tank.

To understand the marking found on cargo tanks, what must a responder have?

The responder should have a basic understanding of not only the container profiles but also written information found on the tank and tank specification plates.

Where can you find all of the information about all the cars on a train?

The train crew. Typically found in the caboose with the conductor or at the engine with the engineer. The crew must retain control of the paperwork at all times and will have knowledge about the availability of a specialized response team from the railroad, access to a 24/7 call center for the railroad. Information about the location and contents of the railcar will be able to help responders understand the scope and impact of the derailment.

Explain the storage of an Intermediate Build Container (IBC) and its capacities.

The volumes stored inside fall between what is typically found in drums and bags and what is in cargo tanks. Their capacities are greater than 119 gallons but less than 793 gallons.

What is an Intermodal tanks? How much can it hold?

They are both shipping and storage vessels. They hold between 5000 and 6000 gallons of product and can be either pressurized or non pressurized.

What are the two types of IBCs? What are they referred to?

They are either Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs) or Rigid Intermediate Bulk Containers (RIBCs). RIBCs are commonly referred to as "totes" and FIBCs are called "sacks" or "super sacks".

What are Super Sacks?

They are much larger than a normal bag and may hold solid material weighing anywhere from 500 pounds to several thousand pounds.

What does the NRC do?

They are notified if a hazard discharges into the environment. Established complex reporting requirements for different chemicals based on the reportable quantity (RQ) for that chemical.

What can Intermodal Tanks (IM or IMO) also be used for?

They can also be used to ship and store gaseous substances that have been chilled until they liquefy (cryogenic liquids), such as liquid nitrogen and liquid argon.

What are Never Agents?

Toxic chemical agents that attack the central nervous system. First developed in Germany before WWII.

True or False (pertaining to question 34)? The shipper or the owner of the chemical has the ultimate legal responsibility to make this call, but by doing so themselves, response agencies will have their reporting bases covered.

True

What are Tube Trailers?

Tube trailers carry compressed gases such as hydrogen, oxygen, helium, and methane. essentially, the are high-volume transportation vehicles that are made up of several individual cylinders banded together and affixed to a trailer.

Explain Type C packaging.

Used for transporting high-activity radioactive substances by air. Dangerous radio-active sources are shipped in Type C. Not certified for use in the U.S. and is not part of the transportation regulations. Only referenced in international regulations.

Explain Industrial Packaging.

Used in certain shipments of low-activity material and contaminated objects, which are usually categorized as radioactive waste. DOT regulation requires that these packages allow no identifiable release of the material to the environment during normal transportation and handling. Three categories of industrial packaging: IP-1, IP-2, and IP-3. The category of the package with be marked on the exterior of the package.

Explain Excepted Packaging.

Used to transport materials that meet only general design requirements for any hazardous material package. Low-level radioactive substances are commonly shipped in excepted packages, which may be constructed out of heavy cardboard. Authorized for limited quantities of radioactive material. Required to have letters "UN" and the appropriate four digit identification # marked on the outside of the package.

What is the difference of persistence between VX and Sarin?

VX is persistent because it has a lower vapor pressure and will not evaporate quickly. Sarin, on the other hand, is considered non persistent because it evaporate at about the same rate as water.