I've always been interested in the signs on the back of dangerous transport trucks. What is the toxic crap that we have on our roads? When we hurtle along at freeway speeds, passing or driving up close to a chemical transport, what are we really coming near?
I always wanted a crib sheet to bring along in my car, so I could 'sightsee' the potential disasters as they roar by, on diesel drawn trailers. So here it is -
Here are a few samples of combined codes. For the complete list, please see Annex 5 of the Basics of Chemical Safety training module from the International occupation safety and health information centre.
| Code | Danger |
|---|---|
| 223 | Refrigerated flammable gas |
| 23 | Flammable gas |
| 239 | Flammable gas, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction |
| 26 | Toxic gas |
| 286 | Corrosive gas, toxic |
| 33 | Highly flammable liquid (flash point below 21°C) |
| 46 | Flammable or self-heating solid, toxic |
| 558 | Strongly oxidizing substance, corrosive |
| 69 | Toxic or harmful substance, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction |
| 73 | Radioactive liquid, flammable (flash point not above 55°C) |
| 90 | Miscellaneous dangerous substance |
The symbols viewed on any dangerous materials are as follows:
 | Harmful, or Irritant |  | Oxidizing |
 | Toxic or Very Toxic |  | Dangerous for the environment |
 | Highly Flammable or Extremely Flammable |  | Corrosive |
 | Explosive |
A different set of signage is employed for dangerous transports - such as tank trucks carrying large quantities of hazardous materials. These signs will be discussed in a future post.
