National Cargo Bureau warns of resin fires

National Cargo Bureau warns of resin fires

   National Cargo Bureau, Inc., a New York-based, not-for-profit provider of cargo surveying services, has warned shippers and ocean carriers about fires and explosions that have recently occurred in containers of expandable polymeric beads, generally referred to as resin.

   In the past, “the only hazards associated with this commodity were slip-and-fall accidents caused by the little beads when a bag was broken or holed. Today, the story has significantly changed,” National Cargo Bureau said in a statement.

   Expandable polymeric or polystyrene beads are a packaging and molding material in granular or bead form about 3mm in diameter. “During transport, they can emit pentane, a volatile hydrogen gas, which can lead to the generation of flammable concentrations of gas,” National Cargo Bureau explained.

   This commodity is covered by the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation and also by the International Dangerous Goods Code. “A person familiar with the codes knows to look up ‘polymeric’ or ‘polystyrene’ to find the pertinent regulations regarding labeling, stowage, and ventilation. However, if one looked up the commodity under ‘expandable,’ nothing would be mentioned,” National Cargo Bureau said.

   “A person not familiar with using the code would assume the commodity wasn’t hazardous,” National Cargo Bureau warned.