HAZMAT Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances

Poisonous material is a material, other than a gas, known to be so toxic to humans that it presents a health hazard during transportation.

Divisions

Division 6.1: Poisonous material is a material, other than a gas, which is known to be so toxic to humans as to afford a hazard to health during transportation, or which, in the absence of adequate data on human toxicity:

Is presumed to be toxic to humans because it falls within any one of the following categories when tested on laboratory animals :
Is an irritating material, with properties similar to tear gas, which causes extreme irritation, especially in confined spaces.

Division 6.2: Biohazards.

Placards

Poison: 454 kg or more gross mass of poisonous materials that are not in Hazard Zone A or B. For U.S. domestic use only.
Inhalation hazard: Any quantity of a material that is in Hazard Zone A or B.
Toxic: May be used instead of Poison placard on 454 kg or more gross weight of poisonous materials that are not in Hazard Zone A or B. For international shipments the label must say Toxic if it will be worded.
PG III : May be used instead of Poison placard on 454 kg or more gross weight of Poison PG III materials.

Lethality

Median lethal dose

Oral toxicity: LD₅₀ for acute oral toxicity means that dose of the material administered to both male and female young adult albino rats which causes death within 14 days in half the animals tested. The number of animals tested must be sufficient to give statistically valid results and be in conformity with good pharmacological practices. The result is expressed in mg/kg body mass.
Dermal toxicity: LD₅₀ for acute dermal toxicity means that dose of the material which, administered by continuous contact for 24 hours with the shaved intact skin of an albino rabbit, causes death within 14 days in half of the animals tested. The number of animals tested must be sufficient to give statistically valid results and be in conformity with good pharmacological practices. The result is expressed in mg/kg body mass.

Determining acute LD₅₀

For purposes of classifying and assigning packing groups to mixtures possessing oral or dermal toxicity hazards according to the criteria in 49CFR 173.133, it is necessary to determine the acute LD₅₀ of the mixture. If a mixture contains more than one active constituent, one of the following methods may be used to determine the oral or dermal LD₅₀ of the mixture:

Obtain reliable acute oral and dermal toxicity data on the actual mixture to be transported;
If reliable, accurate data is not available, classify the formulation according to the most hazardous constituent of the mixture as if that constituent were present in the same concentration as the total concentration of all active constituents; or
If reliable, accurate data is not available, apply the formula:

Median lethal concentration

LC₅₀ for acute toxicity on inhalation means that concentration of vapor, mist, or dust which, administered by continuous inhalation for one hour to both male and female young adult albino rats, causes death within 14 days in half of the animals tested. If the material is administered to the animals as a dust or mist, more than 90% of the particles available for inhalation in the test must have a diameter of 10 μm or less if it is reasonably foreseeable that such concentrations could be encountered by a human during transport. The result is expressed in mg/L of air for dusts and mists or in mL/m³ of air for vapors. See 49CFR 173.133 for LC50 determination for mixtures and for limit tests.