Marine pollutant

Marine pollutant rules come from international maritime dangerous goods requirements and are reflected in US hazmat rules in 49 CFR Parts 171-180, which adopt the concept for vessel transport and, in some cases, for road and rail. A substance may qualify through a listing or through criteria based on aquatic toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation.

The visible effect is a symbol, a fish and tree shown on a package or container, together with the words marine pollutant in the shipping description. It is a signal for people loading, stowing and responding to spills that damage to the marine environment is the concern, even if the product is not otherwise a dangerous good in that mode of transport.

Some marine pollutants are not classed as hazardous in any other transport sense. In those cases, the marine pollutant mark can be the only reason for hazmat requirements on sea shipments. Quantity exceptions exist in the rules, so small packages may be exempt, but you must check the current regulation.

Shippers rely on the SDS for the information, particularly Section 14, which should state whether the substance is a marine pollutant. Because requirements change with updates to the codes, always verify against the supplier's current document and the applicable edition of the regulations.