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On April 9, 2021, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF) held a symposium on the draft revisions to the Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods (GB 6944-2012) [1] and the List of Dangerous Goods (GB 12268-2012) [2].
The symposium was attended by representatives from government authorities, including the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (SCC-MEE), the Waterborne Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport (WTI-MOT), the National Registration Center for Chemicals of the Ministry of Emergency Management (NRCC-MEM), etc., as well as industry associations, research institutes and enterprises. Experts from REACH24H Consulting Group, a co-organizer of the symposium, were also present at the event and put forward some recommendations.
GB 6944 and GB 12268 are two fundamental standards for the transport management of dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals in China. Based on them, a series of laws and provisions have been formulated to ensure safe industrial practices and sound regulation in this regard.
The versions currently in effect are revisions introduced in 2012 in line with the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods - Model Regulations Part 2: Classification (16th revised edition). However, since the currently effective edition of the UN Recommendations is the 21st revised edition and the 22nd is expected to be published soon, it is both urgent and necessary to revise GB 6944 and GB 12268, so as to align them with the latest international requirements and practices.
Against this backdrop, relevant authorities have organized and carried out the work of revising the two standards, and the drafts have been completed. Major technical modifications proposed in them are presented below.
l GB 6944:
Ø Add the classification procedure of Class 1 dangerous goods, as well as the provision on exclusion from Class 1;
Ø Add the definition of Class 2 adsorbed gas, the procedure of determining the hazard category of gas mixtures, and the scope of gas substances which cannot be accepted for transportation;
Ø Add the table for calculation of viscosity and flash point for viscous flammable liquids with a flash point of lower than 23℃ which are assigned to packing group III, the method of determining flash point and initial boiling point, and the scope of flammable liquids which cannot be accepted for transportation;
Ø Add the classification, classification principles and flowchart of Division 4.1 self-reactive substances, and the classification and classification flowchart of organometallic substances;
Ø Add the classification principles and flowchart of Class 5 organic peroxides;
Ø Add the scope of toxic substances, included in Class 6 toxic substances and infectious substances, which cannot be transported; add the hazard categorization principles of biological products, genetically modified microorganisms and tissues, medical or clinical waste, and infected animals;
Ø Add the table of determination criteria for Class 8 corrosive substances which are assigned to packing group III, the determination of alternative packaging groups for mixtures, and the scope of substances that cannot be accepted for transportation;
Ø Add the classification principles for mixtures of Class 9 substances hazardous to aquatic environment and the hazard categorization principles for lithium batteries;
Ø Add the classification principle of samples; and
Ø Add the naming requirements concerning UN number, proper shipping name, N.O.S., etc.
l GB 12268:
Ø Add the classification of polymers;
Ø Add the explanation on dangerous goods packed in limited quantity (LQ) and excepted quantity (EQ) and provisions on packaging of dangerous goods;
Ø Modify the structure of the list of dangerous goods;
Ø Add 57 items to the list of dangerous goods, numbered UN3496-UN3548;
Ø Add some special provisions applicable to certain articles or substances;
Ø Add the Table of Organic Peroxides;
Ø Add nine tables, in which dangerous goods under the same hazard class are arranged in the order of Pinyin (Chinese phonetic alphabet)
All these proposed provisions are formulated based on the 21st revised edition of the UN Recommendations. It is expected that the official revisions to the two standards will be rolled out by 2022.
