Hazardous Materials Transportation

Lithium cell and battery manufacturers long have been required by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and international hazardous materials/dangerous goods transportation regulations to prove that lithium cells and batteries meet UN testing, specifically Sub-section 38.3 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. Last year, the U.S. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a rule that will help each entity along the distribution chain easily know that the lithium cell or battery meets UN testing. (85 Fed. Reg. 27810 (May 11, 2020)).
Continue Reading Are You Ready for the U.S. DOT’s January 1, 2022 Deadline for Lithium Battery Test Summaries?

Retailers need to prepare for a major shift in chemical regulation policy recently announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that could affect a broad range of products currently being sold in the US. Under this sweeping new policy, EPA plans to address chemical risks by directly regulating articles that are manufactured with those chemicals. Crowell environmental attorneys, Warren Lehrenbaum and Jennifer Giblin, addressed this and other important developments at EPA in a wide-ranging question and answer session with the Retail Industry Leaders Association on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
Continue Reading EPA’s Shift In Chemical and Hazardous Materials Regulation and What Retailers Can Expect

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) hazard class ORM-D will expire on December 31, 2020. ORM-D stands for Other Regulated Material and is a hazard class specific to the U.S. ORM-D is widely used for consumer commodities that are hazardous materials subject to the DOT Hazardous Material Regulations but that present a limited hazard during

Over recent years, the use of lithium ion batteries has become widespread in consumer products such as laptops, smartphone, hoverboards, electric scooters and bicycles, and power banks.  Unfortunately, many companies have been forced to recall their products over thermal events involving those products’ lithium ion batteries.

Manufacturers can mitigate their risks of fire hazards with