Effective March 28, 2019, the Postal Service™ is revising Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, to provide minor changes to mailing standards, enhance clarity, update terminology, and correct erroneous references and omissions.
Effective October 1, 2018, the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco products in the District of Columbia changed from age 18 to age 21. In addition, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maine, and Oregon require purchasers of tobacco to be age 21 or older, and Alaska, Alabama, and Utah require purchasers to be age 19 or older. The Postal Service will revise Exhibit 472.25 to reflect the change to the minimum age in the District of Columbia. Postal Service employees must be aware of these requirements and ensure that the sender and recipient meet the required minimum age as specified in Publication 52.
On June 1, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated the Hazard Communications Standard to require a new uniform format for Safety Data Sheets (SDS) (formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS). To reflect the new terminology, the Postal Service will perform a global change throughout Publication 52 to replace the term “Material Safety Data Sheet” with the term “Safety Data Sheet,” and replace “MSDS” with “SDS.” The Postal Service will also add the term “SDS” to the index, and revise Appendix D to include the new OSHA definition.
The Postal Service is aware that lighters fueled by butane and flammable liquids are now used for various purposes. As a result, the Postal Service will replace the term “cigarette lighter” with “lighter” in various sections of Publication 52. With this change, the Postal Service will also update various other references and add clarifying revisions relating to lighters.
In response to requests from mailers of eCigarette nicotine solutions, pesticides, and other nonregulated toxic materials, the Postal Service will relax its current section 346.232 restriction of a single primary receptacle for mailings of some nonregulated toxic materials. The Postal Service will now permit multiple primary receptacles, provided the aggregate quantity of toxic materials are within the specified limits. The Postal Service also updates the references in 346.232 to align with those of the Department of Transportation (DOT), and clarifies the requirement for triple-packaging of liquid nonregulated toxic materials when an aggregate quantity exceeds 4 ounces in a single mailpiece.
To align its dangerous mail protocols with those of other federal agencies, in 2013, the United States Postal Inspection Service® requested that the Postal Service revise Exhibit 347.22, Activity Limits for Mailable Instruments, Articles, and Limited Quantity Radioactive Materials, to align with those permitted by DOT. This revision was made on October 31, 2013. The Postal Service will now revise section 347.2, section 622.3, and Packaging Instruction 7A to specify that the activity limits provided in Exhibit 347.22 apply only to domestic mailings, and that international mailings are restricted to one-tenth of the activity limits provided in Exhibit 347.22.
In response to several recent spills of metallic mercury in its networks, the Postal Service will revise section 348.22g to clarify that UN3506, Mercury contained in manufactured articles, does not include thermometers, barometers, and similar devices containing metallic mercury, and that devices containing enough mercury to be seen with the naked eye are generally nonmailable.
Effective March 28, 2019, the Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 601.3.4, to provide clarified mailing standards for the packaging and markings for mailpieces containing nonhazardous liquids. On July 9, 2018, the Postal Service published a Federal Register proposed rule (83 FR 31712-31713) relating to its intent to revise mailing standards for nonhazardous liquids, then a Federal Register final rule (84 FR 9716-9719) titled “New Mailing Standards for Mailpieces Containing Liquids.” In the final rule, the Postal Service stated that it will revise DMM 601.3.4 relating to mailpieces containing nonhazardous liquids, and similarly revise Publication 52 to align with DMM 601.3.4. These Publication 52 revisions are provided as part of this general update.
The Postal Service will make various revisions to Appendix A to direct readers to section 348.22 for specified acidic materials not restricted to the general 15 percent concentration level limit applicable to most acidic materials. The Postal Service will also revise Appendix A to specify that certain Class 9 materials do not qualify for air transportation as consumer commodity materials, and to correct the mailing standards to specify that UN3164, Articles, pressurized pneumatic, or hydraulic containing nonflammable gas, are under Packaging Instruction 2B instead of 2A.
Other minor revisions in this update include:
n Revising section 325.1, Nonmailable Warning Labels, to add clarity.
n Revising section 335 to clarify that ORM-D markings are prohibited in Postal Service air networks and international mail.
n Revising section 337, Excepted Quantity, to add clarity.
n Revising 343.23, Nonmailable Flammable and Combustible Liquids, to specify acetone, benzene, and hexane are generally nonmailable.
n Revising the definition of oral and inhalation toxicity to align with those used by DOT.
n Adding clarifying language to section 453.35, Drug Paraphernalia.
n Revising the Appendix B listing for UN2796, Sulfuric Acid with not more than 51 percent acid, to reflect the alternate shipping name “Battery Fluid, acid.”
The Postal Service will make various revisions to Appendix A to provide clarity, update language, correct erroneous references, and to better align the information with 49 CFR 172.101, Table of Hazardous Materials. Because of the complexity of the changes, these revisions will be made at a later date.
Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
* * * * *
3 Hazardous Materials
* * * * *
32 General
* * * * *
325 DOT Hazardous Materials Warning Labels
325.1 Nonmailable Warning Labels
[Revise the second sentence of the first paragraph, then add a new last sentence to read as follows:]
***Except as provided in 325.2, any mailpiece bearing, or required under 49 CFR to bear, one of the warning labels shown in Exhibit 325.1 is prohibited from mailing. Division 5.1 and 5.2, and class 8 and 9 labels are permitted only when used in conjunction with a Limited Quantity Square-on-point Label, as shown in Exhibit 325.3.
* * * * *
33 Hazard Classes
* * * * *
335 ORM-D Materials
* * * * *
[Add a new third sentence to the second paragraph of 335 to read as follows:]
***ORM-D markings are prohibited from use with Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Package Service, and all classes of international mail.
* * * * *
337 Excepted Quantity
* * * * *
337.4 Quantities
* * * * *
[Revise item 1 to read as follows:]
1. For Packing Group II materials and Class 9 materials, 500 g (1.1 lbs.) for solids or 500 ml (.1 gallon) for liquids.
* * * * *
34 Mailability by Hazard Class
* * * * *
343 Flammable and Combustible Liquids (Hazard Class 3)
* * * * *
343.2 Mailability and Packaging
343.21 Requirements for Flammable Liquids
* * * * *
Exhibit 343.21
Flammable Liquids
* * * * *
343.23 Nonmailable Flammable and Combustible Liquids
* * * * *
[Add new item c. to read as follows:]
c. Acetone (UN1090) normally has a flashpoint of 0° F, Benzene (UN1114) normally has a flashpoint of 12° F, and Hexane(s) (UN1208) normally have flashpoints in the vicinity of -15° F. All are nonmailable unless diluted with less flammable or nonflammable materials sufficient to raise the flashpoint to 20° F or higher.
* * * * *
343.24 Mailable Flammable and Combustible Liquids
* * * * *
[Revise the first sentence of item d. to read as follows:]
d. Lighter Fluid is a flammable liquid that normally has a flashpoint between 20° F (-7° C) and 55° F (13° C).***
* * * * *
[Revise the title and introductory text of 343.25 to read as follows:]
343.25 Lighters
A lighter equipped with an ignition element and containing liquid fuel is classified as a Class 3 flammable liquid. A lighter containing a flammable gas is classed as a Division 2.1 flammable gas. A lighter that contains either flammable liquid or flammable gas is permitted only in the domestic mail via surface transportation with prior written approval and within these conditions:
[Revise item a. to read as follows:]
a. The design of the lighter is certified by a lighter testing agency authorized by the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, per 49 CFR 173.21(i) and 173.308, and an Approval Number (LAA****) is issued.
* * * * *
[Revise item d. to read as follows:]
d. When presented for mailing, the address side of the mailpiece must prominently display the proper shipping name “Lighter(s)” or “Lighter Refill(s)” followed by the Approval Number (LAA****) and the marking “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only,” and all preparation and packaging requirements in the PCSC manager’s approval letter must be met. A legible photocopy of the PCSC manager’s approval must accompany the mailing at the time of deposit.
* * * * *
343.3 Marking and Documentation
* * * * *
[Revise item d. to read as follows:]
d. Lighters containing flammable liquids or gases must be marked as specified in 343.25.
[Add new item e. to read as follows:]
e. Ethanol-based flammable liquids or solids must be marked as specified in 343.27 and Appendix C, Packaging Instruction 3D.
* * * * *
346 Toxic Substances and Infectious Substances (Hazard Class 6)
346.1 Definitions
* * * * *
346.11 Division 6.1
* * * * *
[Revise item b. to read as follows:]
b. Oral Toxicity refers to a liquid or solid with a lethal dose (LD50) for acute oral toxicity of not more than 300 mg/kg that, when administered by mouth, is likely to cause death within 14 days in half of the test animals.
* * * * *
[Revise item d. to read as follows:]
d. Inhalation Toxicity applies to a dust or mist with a lethal concentration (LC50) for acute inhalation toxicity of not more than 4 mg/L, or a saturated vapor concentration in air at 68° F (20° C) greater than or equal to more than one-fifth of the LC50 for acute toxicity on inhalation of vapors and with an LC50 for acute inhalation toxicity of vapors of not more than 5,000 ml/m3 that, when administered by continuous inhalation for 1 hour, is likely to cause death within 14 days in half of the test animals.
* * * * *
346.2 Mailability
* * * * *
346.23 Mailable Class 6 Materials
* * * * *
346.232 Other Nonregulated Toxic Materials
* * * * *
[Revise 346.232a and items 1 through 3 to read as follows:]
a. Liquids. Restrictions are as follows, subject to the general packaging requirements of 451.3a and DMM 601.3.4:
1. A nonregulated toxic liquid having an LD50 of 300 to 500 mg/kg is permitted in an aggregate quantity of 16 fluid ounces per mailpiece.
2. A nonregulated toxic liquid having an LD50 of 500 to 2,500 mg/kg is permitted in an aggregate quantity of 32 fluid ounces in glass or other breakable primary receptacles, or in an aggregate quantity of up to 1 gallon in non-breakable primary receptacles.
3. A nonregulated toxic liquid having an LD50 of 2,500 to 5,000 mg/kg is permitted in an aggregate quantity of 1 gallon in glass or other breakable primary receptacles, or in an aggregate quantity of up to 2 gallons in non-breakable primary receptacles.
* * * * *
[Revise 346.232a(5) to read as follows:]
5. External markings specifying the contents and shipping papers are not required for nonregulated toxic liquids. Primary receptacles containing nonregulated toxic liquids having an LD50 of 5000 mg/kg or less must be triple packaged (as specified in 451.3a and DMM 601.3.4) when the aggregate quantity of liquid exceeds 4 ounces in a single mailpiece.
b. Solids. Restrictions are as follows:
* * * * *
[Revise 346.232b(2) to read as follows:]
2. Packaging requirements for a nonregulated toxic solid are the same as those for Division 6.1 toxic substance (see Packaging Instruction 6A in Appendix C), except that a single mailpiece may contain an aggregate quantity of up to 5 pounds.
* * * * *
347 Radioactive Materials (Hazard Class 7)
* * * * *
347.2 Mailability
* * * * *
[Add a new fourth sentence to item a. to read as follows:]
a. International Mail. ***Mailable radioactive materials may not have an activity content that exceeds one-tenth of the limits in Exhibit 347.22.
* * * * *
[Revise the third sentence of item c. to read as follows:]
c. Domestic Mail via Surface Transportation. ***Mailable radioactive materials may not have an activity content that exceeds the limits in Exhibit 347.22, and must be one of the following materials (proper shipping names and UN identification numbers in 49 CFR 172.101):
* * * * *
348 Corrosives (Hazard Class 8)
* * * * *
348.21 Nonmailable Corrosives
* * * * *
[Revise item e. to read as follows:]
e. Mercury (UN2809), and devices containing metallic mercury, such as thermometers, barometers, and sphygmomanometers (i.e., blood pressure meters).
348.22 Mailable Corrosives
* * * * *
[Revise item g. to read as follows:]
g. Manufactured devices that contain small amounts of mercury (UN3506). Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and similar consumer devices containing minute amounts of mercury are mailable by air or surface only when each device, article, or apparatus contains 100 milligrams (mg) (0.0035 ounce) or less of mercury (less than a grain of salt) and each mailpiece contains no more than 1 gram (g) (0.035 ounce) of mercury. Mercury contained in devices categorized under UN3506 typically exists in a vaporized state — no metallic mercury will be visible in UN3506 devices. See Packaging Instruction 8C in Appendix C for mailing details.
* * * * *
349 Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials (Hazard Class 9)
* * * * *
349.2 Mailability
* * * * *
349.22 Mailable Class 9 Materials
349.221 Lithium Metal (Nonrechargeable) Cells and Batteries — Domestic
* * * * *
[Revise the first sentence of 349.221a(6) to read as follows:]
6. Except for mailpieces containing button cell batteries installed in equipment (including circuit boards), or no more than 4 lithium metal cells or 2 lithium metal batteries installed in the equipment they operate, mailpieces containing lithium metal batteries must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.***
* * * * *
349.222 Lithium-ion (Rechargeable) Cells and Batteries — Domestic
* * * * *
[Revise the first sentence of 349.222a(7) to read as follows:]
7. Except for mailpieces containing button cell batteries installed in equipment (including circuit boards), or no more than 4 lithium-ion cells or 2 lithium-ion batteries installed in the equipment they operate, mailpieces containing lithium-ion batteries must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.***
* * * * *
4 Restricted Matter
* * * * *
45 Other Restricted Materials
451 Liquids, Powders, and Odor-Producing Materials
* * * * *
451.3 Packaging and Marking
[Revise item a. to read as follows:]
a. Liquids. Nonhazardous liquids, creams, and pastes, particularly those in 1-gallon paint cans with only friction-top closures (push-down tops), are often a source of damage to other mail and postal equipment. The proper packaging of liquids is critical to ensuring the integrity of the mailpiece during handling. Mailers must mark the outer container of a mailpiece containing liquid to indicate the nature of the contents, and include orientation arrows in accordance with 226. All liquids are subject to the general packaging requirements in DMM 601.3.4 and the following:
* * * * *
[Add new 451.3a(2) to read as follows and renumber current 451.3a(2) through 451.3a(4) as new 451.3a(3) through 451.3a(5):]
2. The use of locking rings or similar devices is encouraged when mailing containers with friction-top closures (push-down tops).
* * * * *
[Revise renumbered 451.3a(4) to read as follows:]
4. All nonmetal containers of liquid more than 4 ounces, including plastic containers, and metal containers with friction top closures, must be triple-packaged, and include absorbent material capable of absorbing all of the liquid in the container(s) in case of breakage, a leakproof secondary container, such as a watertight can or plastic bag surrounding the primary container(s), and an outer mailing container that is securely sealed, strong enough to protect the contents, and durable enough to withstand normal processing in Postal Service networks.
* * * * *
[Add new 451.3a(6) to read as follows:]
6. As an alternative to 451.3a(4) above, mailers may use containers certified by the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) to have passed ISTA‘s Test Procedure 3A. Mailers must, upon request, provide written test results verifying that sample mailpieces passed each test outlined in the standard and that no liquids were released.
* * * * *
453 Controlled Substances and Drugs
* * * * *
453.3 Mailability
* * * * *
453.35 Drug Paraphernalia
[Revise 453.35 to read as follows:]
It is unlawful to use the mail to transport drug paraphernalia under the Controlled Substances Act. If use of the mail to transport an article is unlawful under the Controlled Substances Act, the article also is nonmailable (see 453.13).
* * * * *
47 Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco
* * * * *
472 Mailability
* * * * *
472.2 Mailability Exceptions
* * * * *
472.25 Minimum Purchasing Age
* * * * *
Exhibit 472.25 Minimum Purchasing Age
[Revise Exhibit 472.25 to read as follows:]
1. Except that U.S. Armed Forces active duty personnel with military ID must be at least 18 years of age.
2. Applies only to those who attain the age of 18 after July 1, 2018.
5 Perishable Matter
* * * * *
52 Animals
* * * * *
526 Mailable Live Animals
* * * * *
526.2 Live Bees
526.21 Mailability Requirements
[Revise the introductory text of 526.21 to read as follows:]
Honeybees and queen honeybees must be free of disease, as required under federal and state regulations. The following additional conditions apply:***
* * * * *
6 International Mail
* * * * *
62 Hazardous Materials: International Mail
* * * * *
622 Mailable Hazardous Materials
* * * * *
622.3 Radioactive Materials, Class 7
* * * * *
[Add new item c. to read as follows and renumber current items c. through h. as new items d. through i:]
c. Mailable radioactive materials may not have an activity content that exceeds one-tenth of the limits in Exhibit 347.22.
* * * * *
Appendix A
Hazardous Materials Table: Postal Service Mailability Guide
* * * * *
[Revise column (e) to indicate when a mailer must review the concentration percentage in section 348.22 for the following entries:]
Hazardous Materials Descriptions and Proper Shipping Names (a)
|
Hazard Class (b)
|
ID Number (c)
|
DOT PG (d)
|
USPS Mailability (e)
|
Domestic Mail Air (f)
|
Domestic Mail Surface (g)
|
* * * * *
|
Acetic acid solution, not less than 50 percent but not more than 80 percent acid, by mass
|
8
|
UN2790
|
II
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
Acetic acid solution, with more than 10 percent and less than 50 percent acid, by mass
|
8
|
UN2790
|
III
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
* * * * *
|
Dyes, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s. or Dye intermediates, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s.
|
8
|
UN2801
|
II, III
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
Dyes, solid, corrosive, n.o.s. or Dye intermediates, solid, corrosive, n.o.s.
|
8
|
UN3147
|
II, III
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
* * * * *
|
Hydrochloric acid
|
8
|
UN1789
|
II, III
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
* * * * *
|
Sulfuric acid with not more than 51 percent acid
|
8
|
UN2796
|
II
|
Only ORM-D or Mailable Limited Quantity and per 348.22
|
8A
|
8A
|
[Revise columns (e) and (f) to remove the option to transport certain Class 9 Miscellaneous hazard materials in air transportation as Consumer Commodities for the following entries:]
Acetaldehyde ammonia
|
9
|
UN1841
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
Asbestos
|
9
|
NA2212
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
Blue asbestos (Crocidolite) or
Brown asbestos (amosite, mysorite)
|
9
|
UN2212
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
Castor beans or
Castor meal or
Castor pomace or
Castor flake
|
9
|
UN2969
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
Plastic molding compound in dough, sheet, or extruded rope form evolving flammable vapor
|
9
|
UN3314
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
Polychlorinated biphenyls, liquid
|
9
|
UN2315
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
Polychlorinated biphenyls, solid
|
9
|
UN3432
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Polyhalogenated biphenyls, liquid or Polyhalogenated terphenyls, liquid
|
9
|
UN3151
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
Polyhalogenated biphenyls, solid or Polyhalogenated terphenyls, solid
|
9
|
UN3152
|
II
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
Polymeric beads, expandable, evolving flammable vapor
|
9
|
UN2211
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
White asbestos (chrysotile, actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite)
|
9
|
UN2590
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
* * * * *
|
|
Zinc dithionite or Zinc hydrosulfite
|
9
|
UN1931
|
III
|
Only ORM-D
|
Prohibited
|
9C
|
[Revise columns (f) and (g) to indicate Packaging Instruction, 2B, for the following entry:]
* * * * *
Appendix B
Numerical Listing of Proper Shipping Names by Identification (ID) Number
* * * * *
Appendix C
USPS Packaging Instructions for Mailable Hazardous Materials
* * * * *
Hazard Class 3: Flammable and Combustible Liquids
* * * * *
[Add Packaging Instruction 3D to the Packaging Instruction table of contents to read as follows:]
n 3D Ethanol-based Flammable Liquids and Solids
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 3C
[Revise the title and text of Packaging Instruction 3C to read as follows:]
Flammable Liquid or Gas Lighters
A lighter equipped with an ignition element and containing fuel is classified as a Class 3 flammable liquid. A lighter containing a flammable gas is classed as a Division 2.1 flammable gas. A lighter that contains either flammable liquid or flammable gas is permitted in domestic mail via surface transportation only with prior written approval, provided all the applicable requirements of 343.25 are met.
* * * * *
Required Authorization
[Revise the text to read as follows:]
The design of the lighter must be certified by the lighter testing agency authorized by the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Material Safety, per 49 CFR 173.21(i) and 173.308, and an Approval Number (LAA****) must have been issued.
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 7A
Radioactive Materials
* * * * *
Mailability
* * * * *
[Add a new third bullet to read as follows:]
n Mailable radioactive materials may not have an activity content that exceeds one-tenth of the limits in Exhibit 347.22.
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 9D
Lithium Metal and Lithium-ion Cells and Batteries — Domestic
* * * * *
Required Packaging
Lithium Metal and Lithium-ion Batteries
* * * * *
Markings
n Lithium metal batteries properly installed in the equipment they operate:
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium metal batteries – ‘installed in’ to read as follows:]
n Except for mailpieces containing button cell batteries installed in equipment (including circuit boards), or no more than 4 lithium metal cells or 2 lithium metal batteries installed in the equipment they operate, mailpieces containing lithium metal batteries must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
n Lithium metal batteries packed with the equipment they are intended to operate:
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium metal batteries – “packed with” to read as follows:]
n Mailpieces must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
n Lithium metal batteries not packed with or installed in equipment (individual batteries):
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium metal batteries – “not packed with” to read as follows:]
n Mailpieces must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
n Lithium-ion batteries properly installed in the equipment they are intended to operate:
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium-ion batteries – “installed in” to read as follows:]
n Except for mailpieces containing button cell batteries installed in equipment (including circuit boards), or no more than 4 lithium-ion cells or 2 lithium-ion batteries installed in the equipment they operate, mailpieces containing lithium-ion batteries must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
n Lithium-ion batteries packed with the equipment they are intended to operate:
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium-ion batteries – “packed with” to read as follows:]
n Mailpieces must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
n Lithium-ion batteries not packed with or installed in equipment (individual batteries):
[Revise the text of the first bullet under lithium-ion batteries – “not packed with” to read as follows:]
n Mailpieces must bear a DOT-approved lithium battery mark, as specified in 49 CFR 173.185(c)(3)(i) and Exhibit 325.2a, applied to the address side of the mailpiece.
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 10A
Small Quantity Provision
* * * * *
Marking
[Revise the first bullet to read as follows:]
n The address side of each mailpiece sent under the small quantity provision must be clearly marked with “This package conforms to 49 CFR 173.4 for domestic highway or rail transport only.”
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 10B
Excepted Quantity Provision
* * * * *
Documentation
* * * * *
[Revise the last bullet to read as follows:]
n For transport by air, a shipping paper is not required.
* * * * *
Appendix D
Hazardous Materials Definitions
* * * * *
[Retain the term “Material Safety Data Sheet” in Appendix D only, and revise the entry to read as follows:]
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), see Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
* * * * *
[Add two new entries in alphabetical order to read as follows:]
Rigid means unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible. A rigid outer shipping container or rigid packaging is generally interpreted to mean a fiberboard (cardboard) box or outer packaging of equivalent strength, durability and rigidity.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document that details the physical characteristics and health hazards of a chemical or hazardous product. In 29 CFR 1910.1200(g), OSHA requires chemical manufacturers, distributors, and importers to provide SDSs to communicate the hazards of hazardous chemicals they produce or import, and provide copies to their customers. OSHA also requires that employers have an SDS on hand for each hazardous chemical present in their workplace. For postal purposes, the information on an SDS can be useful in determining the mailability of a hazardous material.
* * * * *
Index
* * * * *
B
Batteries
* * * * *
[Add two new entries in alphabetical order under “Batteries” to read as follows:]
Lithium-ion, 349.222
Lithium metal, 349.221
* * * * *
E
* * * * *
[Add a new index entry to read as follows:]
Ethanol-based liquids and solids, 343.27, Appendix C
* * * * *
M
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[Revise the index entry for Material Safety Data Sheet to read as follows:]
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), see Safety Data Sheet
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S
* * * * *
[Add a new index entry for Safety Data Sheet to read as follows:]
Safety Data Sheet (SDS), 215.2, Appendix D
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next update of online Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 3-28-19
