Hazmat Intro: Chapter 1

• Study notes based on the provided text

Intro to Hazmat (Chapter 1)

• Hazmat includes chemical, biological, and radiological materials.
• Uncontrolled or uncontained hazmat may harm people or the environment.
• CBRNE weapons are chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive.
• Flammable gases, combustible liquids, corrosive acids, ammonia, and chlorine are some of the most common hazmats.
• The seven mechanisms of harm are: Thermal, Radiological, Asphyxiating, Chemical, Etiological/Biological, Mechanical, and Psychological (TRACEM-P).
• Inhalation is the most common route of exposure, but ingestion, absorption, and injection are also possible.
• Contamination requires physical contact with the material.
• Exposure occurs when the material enters the body.
• Cross-contamination is the same as secondary contamination.
• Acute exposure: single incident
• Chronic exposure: long-term or recurring.
• Acute health effects are short term, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
• Chronic health effects are long term, such as cancer.
• Acetaldehyde, chloroform, progesterone, and PCBs are carcinogens.
• A slow, methodical, and thought out approach is needed when handling hazmats.
• Hazmat training has three levels: awareness, first responder operations, and first responder with Operations mission-specific training.
• Awareness level personnel: recognize incidents, limited defensive actions, call for help, evacuate, and secure scene
• First responder operations level: dispatched to scene, perform defensive actions, and do not come into direct contract with material
• First responder with Operations mission specific level training: perform additional defense tactics and limited offense tactics.
• The risk-based response model is a 5-step model called APIE-T (Analyze, Plan, Implement, Evaluate, and Termination).
• ERG refers to the emergency response guidebook.
• Standards are voluntary.
• EOC means emergency operations center
• EOP means emergency operations plan.

Recognize and Identify Hazmat (Chapter 2)

• Awareness-level personnel includes fire, emergency services, LEO, DPW, public health, social service, industry, and transportation.
• Seven clues to the presence of hazmat: location, occupancy types, pre-incident surveys, basic container info, transportations, non-transportation hazmat markings/labels, hazard information reference sources, sensory clues, and monitoring/detection systems.
• Most hazardous materials are hidden in plain sight.
• A fume hood exhaust or stacks might show where a lab or medical building is
• Different packaging container shapes can provide clues.
• Containers can be classified by their capacity.
• Bulk packaging excludes vessels and barges, involving materials loaded without intermediate containment.
• Bulk packaging is greater than 119 gallons for liquids.
• Bulk packaging net mass is greater than 882 pounds for solids, with a capacity of 119 pounds
• Water capacity is 1,000 pounds or greater as a receptacle for gas.
• Non-bulk packaging includes drums, boxes, carboys, and bags smaller than bulk packaging.
• Pressurized containers are also known as atmospheric storage tanks.
• Pressurized containers have rounded ends, bolted access points/hatches, pressure relief devices, and pressure gauges.
• Spherical containers are effective for pressurized gas storage in liquid form due to uniform stress distribution.
• Circular containers with flat ends/larger diameter than height indicate atmospheric/low pressure contents.
• Circular containers may have an open-top floating roof tank.
• Vertical containers with a cone bottom and elevated legs do not indicate any specific hazard and CONTAIN ANYTHING
• Cone-shaped bottoms dispense solid, slurry, and liquid.
• Horizontal cylinders with flat ends/elevated legs indicate atmospheric to low-pressure liquid storage.
• Cylindrical rounded-end containers on/near railways indicate pressurized contents.
• Smaller cylinders with slightly rounded ends/reinforcing rings indicate low pressure on semi-trucks.
• Oval containers with nearly flat ends on semi-trucks indicate non-pressurized containers.
• Horseshoe-shaped containers with flat ends indicate low-pressure liquids.
• Cylindrical shapes with a rear box cabinet are THERMOS BOTTLE CONTAINERS. Sometimes called refrigerated liquefied gas, cryogenic liquid tank trucks cannot be liquified by pressure alone
• Refrigerated liquefied gas turns to liquid at or below -130 degrees.
• Rectangle containers may carry mixed cargo.
• Hazard classes are assigned based on the most dangerous chemical/physical properties.
• The UN system has 9 hazard classifications .
• Class 1 - Explosives release energy (light, heat, gas) with a division number indicating the explosion hazard.
• There are 6 division classes of explosives.
• Compatibility group letters control transportation, separation, and storage of explosives.
• Explosives are normally packaged as solids.
• Primary hazards of explosives are thermal and mechanical.
• Explosives have Blast Pressure, Shrapnel, Seismic effect, and incendiary thermal effect.
• Class 2 - Gases are stored/transported in pressurized containers or cryogenic liquid storage tanks.
• Three division numbers for gases.
• Gas hazards are energy, toxicity, and corrosivity.
• BLEVE is boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.
• Class 3 - Flammable liquids have no divisions.
• Primary hazards for combustible liquids are chemical energy, corrosivity, and toxicity.
• Class 4 - Flammable solids are spontaneously combustible and dangerous when wet.
• Solids can readily combust with an ignition source.
• Solids spontaneously ignite within 5 minutes of contacting air, which do not require an external source
• Solids typically react violently and unexpectedly during extinguishment.
• There are three division classes of solids.
• Primary hazards of solids are chemical, mechanical, corrosive, and toxicity.
• Class 5 - Oxidizing substances are liquids or solids that release oxygen/oxidizing substances.
• Oxidizers vigorously support combustion.
• SADT is self-accelerating decomposition temperature.
• MSST is the maximum safe storage temperature.
• Class 5 has 2 divisions (oxidizers and organic peroxides).
• Class 6 - Toxic and infectious substances has two divisions.
• Words "poison" or "poisonous" may be on label during transportation.
• Hazards involving inhalation are toxic vapors.
• Class 6 are typically shipped in small containers without placards.
• Primary hazard is toxicity inhalation or disease.
• Class 7 - Radioactive materials cannot be detected with senses and have no divisions.
• Primary hazard is radiation burns, illness, and cancer.
• Radioactive labels must have yellow backgrounds.
• Foreign labels may use "RADIOACTIVE" instead of the UN number.
• Radioactive material must be labeled on two sides with a distinctive label.
• Three label categories are RADIOACTIVE WHITE 1, RADIOACTIVE YELLOW 2, and RADIOACTIVE YELLOW 3.
• Radioactive materials also require a "FISSILE" label.
• Labels contain the isotope name, becquerels for radioactivity, and the transportation index
• The transportation index (TI) indicates the radiation level in rem per hour at 1 meter from the package surface.
• Class 8 - Corrosives can cause full-thickness destruction of human skin within a specific period.
• There are no divisions for class 8.
• Can cause fires or explosions if contact other materials.
• Some can react with metal or water.
• Primary hazards are chemical, toxic, thermal, and mechanical.
• Class 9 - Miscellaneous dangerous substances cause distraction or discomfort during transportation.
• Such as: elevated temperature material, marine pollutants, lithium batteries, and PCBs
• Dangerous placards indicate mixed loads of hazardous materials under specific weight limits.
• Dangerous placards are in class 2, 3, and 8 shipments.
• Placards are diamond shaped on all 4 sides of a vehicle, standard size of 9.84 inches per side.
• UN number is a 4-digit number, sometimes labeled as an ID number.
• UN numbers are associated with placards and shown on them.
• The YELLOW BORDERED SECTION in ERG book provides the key to the four digit identification numbers.
• Four steps to hazard recognition: background color, hazard class number, UN/NA ID, and pictogram.
• Orange panels have 2 sets of numbers which tell you for the EU/South America and the 4-digit ID number
• "X" indicates that material will react violently with water.
• Labels are diamond-shaped, 3.9 inches.
• Infectious substance labels always include text.
• If a package has multiple labels, the TOXIC label is PRIMARY, and the flammable liquid label is SUBSIDIARY.
• Markings have no set style, but must contrast sharply.
• PIH or poisonous by inhalation requires an "INHALATION HAZARD" marking.
• Elevated temperature materials require a "HOT" marking, shipped above 1,300 degrees.
• Lithium batteries (class 9/miscellaneous) present chemical and electrical hazards, difficult to extinguish causing thermal runaway.
• Natural gas is the predominant product in gas distribution pipelines.
• Top 3 quadrants represent hazard categories (0-4), with 4 indicating the most severe hazard.
• Health's quadrant is blue.
• Flammability's quadrant is red.
• Instability's quadrant is yellow.
• Special hazard symbols are in the bottom quadrant, and only 3 symbols are used by NFPA (W, OX, SA).
  • W is reactive with water.
  • OX is an oxidizer.
  • SA is a simple asphyxiant.
• HMIS stands for Hazardous Materials Identification System.
• CAS stands for Chemical Abstract Service.
• EPA registration number.
• A pictogram is a symbol inside a diamond with a red border.
• A signal word is one word relative to severity with danger being more severe and warning used for less
• Fixed facilities should have SDS sheets, inventory lists, signs, markings, and facility documents.
• The CIL, or chemical inventory list, is required by OSHA for all employers.
• Shipments require shipping papers, a bill of lading, or a waybill.
• Hazardous waste shipments require hazardous waste manifest documents.
• The Shipping papers ISHP is an identification paper with the proper shipping name, hazard class or division, and packaging group.
• Rail cars have 7-digit numbers given by STCC or standard transportation commodity codes.
  • Codes starting with 48 = Hazardous WASTE.
  • Codes starting with 49 = Hazardous MATERIAL.
• SDS provides 16 types of information about a product, the best detailed source.

Initiate Protective Actions (Chapter 3)

• Shipping documents list UN # first and the proper name 2nd, then the hazard class and division next.

• There are three packaging groups.

  • Group 1: high danger.
  • Group 2: medium danger.
  • Group 3: low danger.

• ERG might not be appropriate for fixed facilities.

• Use the 4-digit UN number to find in YELLOW section.

• Look up the Name in the BLUE section of ERG.

• Find Material Placard then reference the 3-digit guide code in front of ERG.

• For Container profiles, use white pages in front of ERG.

• There are 2 instruction pages to ERG, one in front and one in back

• Yellow section of ERG:

  • 4-digit UN code are displayed through numerical order
  • Followed by 3-digit initial action guide number.
  • GREEN HIGHLIGHTING indicates TOXIC INHALATION HAZARDS or TIH substances.
  • A "p" indicates it is a material that polymerizes releasing a great amount of heat and energy.

• Blue Section of ERG:

  • Dangerous goods listed alphabetically by material name.
  • Followed by the action guide number and 4 digit UN number.
  • GREEN HIGHLIGHTING indicates TOXIC INHALATION HAZARDS or TIH substances.
  • A "p" following the guide number indicates that substance is a material that polymerizes.

• Orange Section

  • This section provides safety recommendations and general hazard information, is the most useful
  • Features 3 sections: 2 page format
    • Left hand side lists potential hazards and public safety info
    • Right hand side lists emergency response info
    • Green section lists the tables
  • Left side (public safety side) lists initial precautionary actions for personnel and general info regarding protective clothing and respiratory protection.
  • Right hand side is for emergency response info, consultation is first, and potential hazard addresses health and fire or explosive hazard.
  • Lists types of warnings (toxic, highly flammable, and corrosive), evacuation sections that list initial isolation, and fire sections that recommend extinguishing agents.
  • The spill, leak section of the Orange side tells what materials to use to absorb and the first aid section details basic steps to help victims.
  • CPC means chemical protective clothing

• Green Section contains 3 tables (initial isolation, water reactive materials which produce toxic gas and initial isolation/ action distances)

  • TABLE 1 is THE initial isolation table listing initial isolation distances and protective action distances.

  • Small spills are <55 gallons, while larger spills are >55 gallons.

  • Initial ISOLATION distance initially will always initially be 100 feet.

  • If materials have been on fire or leaking more than 30 minutes in the ERG, TABLE IN THE GREEN SECTION DOES NOT APPLY.

  • Substances considered "water reactive" are in Table 2

  • Table 2 - Water is reactive with material that produce amount of TIH

    • Listed in ID number order

  • Table 3 - Initial isolation and SIX COMMON TOXIC INHALATION HAZARD

  -Lists Ammonia, Chlorine, Ethylene Oxide, Hydrogen chloride, Hydrogen fluoride, Sulfur dioxide -Wind speed is broken down in LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH

  • Differences between chemical, biological and radiological incident/indicators are provided in ERG white pages.

• Safe distance chart, based on amount of material, is checked when IEDs are involved

• Awareness Level personnel Notify chemical involved, information on placard, location, incident size, wind direction, plume direction altitude or color, change in conditions, # of injuries

Identify Potential Hazards (Chapter 4)

• Operations level personnel are part of initial defense trained to protect life, environments, and property.

• Their primary role: protect nearby persons, contain the release, and prevent exposures following APIE-T process

• Step one of APIE-T is ANALYZE.

• Physical properties affect the behavior of a material

• The three states of matter are liquid, gas, and solid.

• A material's state changes by temperature.

• Solids are least mobile, and gases are MOST mobile.

• Gases are most dangerous incidents due to odor, colorless, odorless, corrosive, and flammable properties, unidentified shapes and volumes, can go into soil/street/drift

• Difficult if not impossible to contain

• Compressed and liquefied gases EXPAND rapidly when released.

• The most significant factor is how much gas will expand from its liquid state.

• Liquids can flow or pool, present a splash hazard, produce vapors which is a challenge for responders

• Vapors travel like gases, but typically NOT AS FAR from their source.

• Solids are the least mobile, remain in place until acted upon, and larger particles settle out of the air faster.

• Micrometers are units measuring particle size.

• Sublimation is the transition directly from a solid to a gas.

• A physical change alters the PHYSICAL STATE of the matter composition (melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, deposition)

  • Melting: solid to liquid at normal atmospheric pressure
  • Freezing: liquid to solid at normal atmospheric pressure
  • Vaporization: liquid to gas at normal atmospheric pressure
  • Condensation (vapor in air changes to liquid)
  • Sublimation (solid to gas in between a liquid)
  • Deposition (vapor to solid without going into a liquid in between)

• Standard temperature is 68 degrees.

• Pressure is a perpendicular force per surface area

• Atmospheric pressure is the baseline measurement for pressure

• Gas always moves from high to low pressure.

• Vapor pressure is exerted by a saturated vapor ABOVE ITS OWN LIQUID IN A CLOSED CONTAINER.

• Materials w/ VP over 760 mmHg will be gases

• Under 760 mmHg is technically liquid or solid when released from container; they evaporate rapidly near 760

• The higher the temperature, the higher the VP.

• Water requires 212 degrees to boil.

• The boiling point is when a liquid changes to gas.

• Sea level air pressure is 1 atmosphere.

• BLEVEs happen when flames contact tank shell ABOVE liquid level/there is not enough water to keep the tank cool.

• Specific gravity compares equal volumes of water.

• Specific gravity is a unitless measurement, where water has a measurement of 1

• If material is 8 lbs and H2O is 10, the specific gravity is .8

• Specific gravity < 1, it will float, >1 will sink

• Solubility determines if it mix/dissolves with water/another liquid

• Molecular weight determines vapor density, using Air @ 29 grams/mole

• Air measures vapor density.

• < 29 is lighter than air, >29 is heavier than air.

• VD of less than 1 will rise quickly (Helium, Neon, Acetylene and Hydrogen)

• Persistence: ability chemical remains w/o confinement, SDS doesn't reference

• Viscosity: a measure of thickness

• Mercaptan: rotten eggs or sewage, a warning in natural gas

• Never use odor to determine safe and unsafe areas Non-H2O soluble floats, where a Polar solvent mixes Agents causing respiratory irritation: soluble in URT, Partially soluble LOWER resp. (12-24 hr delay).

• Miscilbility is mixing 2+ gases, where immiscibility is not mixing (H2O , fuel)

• Tetrahedron (O2, fuel, heat, chem reaction), reactivity: agent/O2, red agent/fuel, activation source.

• Greater concentration O2, hotter faster burn & Stronger the oxidizer STRONGER the reaction

• Polymerization is a chem reaction that releases energy, marked 'P' in ERG & violent

• Corrosives is tissue/metal destruction, measure corrosion from 0-14, where 7 is neutra

• acids are 0-6.9, bases are 7.1-14

• Acids: chem burns/immediate pain, where bases penetrate DEEPER (no immediate pain)

• Concentration: measured in percentage, H2O for dilution, concentrated if lacking in H2O

• Flash pt: a MIN temperature for Ignition, while FIRE is temp sustains continues burning

• Autoignition/auto point is a temp to sustain w/ ignition, inflammables spontaneously burn

• Gasoline is ~535 auto, but flashes by -45

• LEL or LFL: lowest concentrate burns w/ ignition source, the UEL or UFL is highest

• LEL is LEAN , and UEL RICH

• Vapor or Gas confinement in LEL and UEL explosions, or in open results in a firebal

• Least energetic nonlonizing rad: light, micr wav, radio, while lonizing wave result in(alpha, beta, gamma neutron)

• Alpha: positive and most energy, harmful if ingested

  • Beta: + and - charge, but clothing slows ingest but is otherwise hazardous

  • Gamma : high energy Photons, which need large barriers for neutrons.

• Radioactive contamination Convects /Spreads wind, personnel is contaminated externally/internally

• Acute is large doses, where chronic is small

• TIME/DISTANCE/SHIELD - reduces exposures from rad

• Inverse law- as the radius doubles, it spreads 4X.

• Asphyxiants prevent oxygen intake, where irritant affects eyes/resp/mucous membrane Convulsants induce spasms, while allergens sensitize and cause allergic reaction/senitized,

• The Sensitizers cause substantial allergic reaction: latex / poison ivy. Smoke is aersol by gases/solids/vapor, but Carbon Monoxide = chem asphyx by byproduct

• Carbon Dioxide = complete combustion

Chapter 5: Activity/Materials

• Biological attack are viruses/bacteria/germ illnesses, spread by food/H2O that takes days.
• Spread thru airborne/contacts etc, are colorless and odorless, that can affect a large are
• Chemical attacks are immediate by liquid/gas/solids, from nerve agents that contact skin
• Blood agents are chemical and choking agents cause lung damage
• Incapacitates disable, Vomit agents dispersed via aerosol
• Trims are common H Mat used by terrorists, produced in quantities greater over 30 ton/year
• Rad is com in dust/powder/ nuclear cloud radiation
• Dirty bombs ruins property/crops with rad exposure. device =Radiological Disperal Device: isent to disperse rad over large area
• Inexpensive pressurized containers, that needs powder or liquid to work
• Triange. Treat, decon
• Explosives is com, w/ home made pipe bombs
• PBIED is person borne
• Preservation is more important

Chapter 9 Emergency Decontamination

• Anything exiting the hot zone passes through a decon corridor to prevent the spread of contamination
• Get it off, Keep it off, Contain it
• Decon supervisors are responsible for monitoring SCBA volume and time
• Three types of decon (emergency, mass and technical)
• Type of decon chosen depends persons, equipment and ppe available, number of people requiring decon, and types of hazards encountered.
• Emergency decon is urgent, remove contaminant from victim asap. Emergency decon can be as simple as removing clothing, washing from a firehose, absorbing a contaminant from the skin
• Emergency decon does not require a formal decon corridor or decon process
• Emergency decon can harm the environment; Gross decon is the first step or phase in the decon process. Gross decon, significant surface contamination is reduced as quickly as possible, Off gasing occurs in fresh air, and may require fans. Brushing should start with head and proceed down to feet
• Decon emergency personnel separate from victims

Chapter 12 - Detection, Monitoring, & Sampling

• Operations level responders with mission specific detection need to understand field testing and operate approved detection, monitoring and sampling devices Identify control zones

• Chosings appropriate containment methods and choosing appropriate decontamination methods

• Terms that are used to commonly quantify the concentration of substance in the atmosphere or in a solution are PARTS PER MILLION (ppm) AND PERCENT BY VOLUME (%)

• .0001 % = 1 ppm or one ten thousandth is equal to 1 ppm

• 10% is equal to 100,000 ppm more the decimal place 4 places to the right

• Parts per billion is usually extremely low concentrations

• Oxygen enrichment or deficiency - a oxygen measure a percentage of oxygen in the air

• Flammability - measured as a percentage of flammable gas in the air based on the LEL or lower explosive limit using a LOWER EXPLOSIVE SENSOR

• #Toxicity- measured in parts per million of a toxic gas in the air using a single gas or multi gas detectors

• Normal air is comprised of 20.9% oxygen or 209,000 part per million & 78.1% Nitrogen or 781,000 parts per million, 1% other miscellaneous gases or 10,000 parts per million

• 19.5% or less is an OXYGEN DEFICIENT ATMOSPHERE

• 23.5% or greater is an OXYGEN ENRICHED ATMOSPHERE

• Air still may be breathable between 20.9% and 19.5%

• Oxygen enriched atmosphere greatly increase flammability or explosive potential of any fuel within the space

• Below LFL is to lean to burn

• Above LFL is to rich to burn

• Between is explosive range Methanes flammable range is approximately 5 to 14 % in air which means that is 5% methane is 100% of the flammable concentration; example 100% LEL = 5% methane and 50,000 ppm & 10% LEL = 0.5% methane and 5000 ppl (alarm), 1% LEL = 1.05 methane which is 500 ppm

• Toxicity of a substance is the potential of that substance to cause harm

• Toxicity is the measure of the concentration and time of exposure

• Carbon monoxide detector is example of toxic gas detector

• Dose response relationship - as the dose increases the severity of the toxic response increases

• LD or lethal dose (amounts ingested or absorbed and injected through skin that will cause death) expressed with a percentage such as LD 50 or L D 100

• LD 50 means cause death in 50% of animals when administered orally

• LD is expressed as grams and milligrams per kilogram

• LC or lethal concentration (minimum concentration, regardless of body weight if inhaled that will usually kill a test group in 1 to 4 hours)

• L.C50 would mean 50% would die and the other 50% may suffer

• Expressed as P.P.M and milligrams per cubic meter

• ID or incapacitating dose

• Dose of chemical to incapacitate that organism

• Time weight average (TWA) - max exposure without seeing adverse health effects, BASED ON A 8 HOUR WORK DAY

• Short term exposure limit (STEL) - allowable average exposure over a short period of time

• TYPICALLY 15 MINUTES, and not exceed 4 TIMES IN A DAY