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CLASS 6 - TOXIC AND
INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES
Note: The
following description is not intended to be a definitive technical description of what is
termed a dangerous goods under the New Zealand Standard 5433:1999 - Transport of Dangerous
Goods on Land or The United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.
Health hazards include those products and materials
which have an adverse effect on the humans and animals. There are two main agents that do
this, toxic (poisonous) materials and infectious materials.
Class 6 materials include:
- Pesticides, though not usually herbicides.
- Heavy metal products such as wood preservatives.
- Tissue/Blood samples containing e.g. hepatitis,
yellow fever
| Toxic materials are
identified with the following label: Toxic
substances (poisons) are extremely common. Too much of just about anything when eaten by a
person will very likely make them extremely ill or even cause death. A good example is
common salt, sodium chloride, which is actually more toxic than some herbicides. |
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For transportation purposes, only "acute
toxicity" is considered, not the long term effects or "chronic toxicity".
Since, it is actually quite improbable that anyone would accidentally ingest a toxic
material being transported, quite a high level of toxicity is required.
This point was actually made a distinction in the
transportation of dangerous goods up until two years ago when substances with a low
toxicity were not called toxic, but had a special label entitled "Harmful, keep away
from foodstuffs".
Today, this distinction is not made and all these
materials are called toxic. This label is shown below.
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Infectious substances is
an interesting dangerous goods category. Obviously, when you have a cold or the flu, you
are carrying infectious substances, but you aren't regulated as a dangerous goods! Of
course some people will tell you to go home to bed and not to spread your cold around! In
dangerous goods terms, only highly infectious substances which can cause serious health
effects are regulated. |
The World Health Organization divides infectious
substances into 4 risk categories as follows:
- Risk Group IV - (high individual risk, high
community risk): micro-organisms that cause severe human or animal disease, which may
present a high risk of spreading and there is usually no effective prophylaxis or
treatment available;
- Risk Group III - (high individual risk, low
community risk): micro-organisms that cause severe human or animal disease, which may
present a high risk of spreading but there is usually effective prophylaxis or treatment
available;
- Risk Group II - (moderate individual risk, limited
community risk): micro-organisms that cause human or animal disease, which are unlikely to
spread and there is usually effective prophylaxis or treatment available;
- Risk Group I - (low individual and community risk):
micro-organisms that are unlikely to cause human or animal disease.
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