Shipping EO's ** U.S. Postal Regulations

[Guest guest]

Hey David,

 

> Oh, not joking here.

 

Me neither .. but I will try to bring some logic into the equation.

 

> Many EO's are VERY flammable. And if you ship large quantities then

> you may need to attach a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). Tea Tree

> for example has a low flash point.

 

Many EO are flammable .. but not combustible. That is the concern. As

for MSDS .. true it is that major exporters have to file a copy with a

European airline if they want to ship but that's because the EU has

their butts tied up in totally unnecessary and usually unenforceable red

tape that even they can't explain the reason for. I have made a point

of avoiding European airlines for my exports from Turkey .. I prefer to

use Royal Jordanian as they are more efficient and less costly and not

tied up in EU red tape crap.

 

When folks like me send out 50-60 0rders a week via US Postal or FedEx

Ground .. to customers in 50 US States and 64 other countries .. it

would do no good to put a copy of the MSDS in the box with the EO cause

if it goes up in smoke they ain't gonna read it nohow. Plus the reality

is that MSDS is a Gummit Cover Your Ass requirement that even the

firefighters and transporters don't want to mess with .. and don't mess

with unless they are supervised by a new and overzealous supervisor.

 

They remind me a lot of the admin crap we had in the military and they

still have in Gummit buildings. A sign on the wall saying " You are

here. In case of fire run to the nearest fire exit. " Or .. a sign

above the fire extinguisher hanging on the wall .. " Primary Operator is

Sgt. John Jones. Secondary Operator is PFC Sam Slick. " Do these signs

help you to get your butt out of a burning building? Do they preclude

PFC Judy Johnson from grabbing the fire extinguisher and squirting the

fire if Jones and Slick are not in the area? Of course not! And that

is not the intent .. the intent is to cover a fault that was recognized

at some time in the past and now they Gummit is doing all they can to

say they have taken all prudent measures to do the right thing .. or to

idiot proof procedures since the horse done run out of the barn long

time ago. ;-)

 

> Sweet Orange EO's flash point for example, its only 110 degrees F!

> That is really low, and I could imagine a nightmare of the EO's

> leaking in Phoenix and the package bursting into flame.

 

David .. most of the EO in the world are produced in Third World and

Emerging Market countries. A temperature of 110 F is COLD for those

cats .. I've been in many countries where it was 140 F at 10 in the

morning. They store them in those areas .. and keep in mind that the

oils were exposed to at least a boiling point during distillation.

 

Safety is nice .. and necessary .. I managed safety as a part of my

duties with Brown & Root Engineers .. but taking it beyond the point of

logic is pure paranoia .. and there is not one person on this list or

any other list who has ever heard of an EO exploding. Light a match to

it and some of them will flame a while .. but that is true of many

things around the house .. including our booze.

 

> Other Flash Points:

>

> Neroline 163F

> Oregano 120F

> Rosemary Cineol 104F

 

Great stats they are .. but have you ever been to Tunisia? I guarantee

that 104 F is a cool day there .. and they distill during hotter times

as a matter of routine .. plus store them at higher temperatures for

short periods of time.

 

And we have many days in the summer in Southeast Turkey, where most of

the Oregano in the entire world is distilled .. that are above 120 F.

 

Got so hot down there one time that the popcorn popped right out in the

fields. Cows say it and thought it was snow and froze to death.

 

> Sometimes, it's the size of the container that's important, usually

> for 30 ml containers or less no paperwork is required, not the

> totally quantity shipped. It's my understanding that UPS has a book

> and FedEx's offer free classes.

 

Classes are also CYA .. and its not about milliliters in any case .. not

even about kilos. It is about drums/barrels .. sometimes .. but not all

that often. If I had to fart around with all the stuff you mention on a

day to day basis I would have gone fishing long ago. Its just not that

way in the REAL WORLD!

 

> Also see publications from (I think):

> FDA 172.11

> Or DOT 49CFR

 

Why? Do we need to look for reasons to prove that we can't get there

from here? This crap was beaten to death on Idma years ago .. and the

smart folks realized that since it wasn't broke there was no reason to

look for a fix .. but if one wants to ask the damn gummit you can bet

your booty that some idiotic bureaucrat that is a dead horse and not

aware of it yet will pull out an asinine reg that tells you you can't be

in business any more.

 

> Oh, can there can be a fine of $25,000 if you violate the shipping

> requirements.

 

There can be a fine for spitting on the sidewalk if its adjudicated in a

court of law .. but there is no way such crap is gonna affect folks in

this industry unless they are major shippers. I have to deal with such

crap on major exports but certainly not in my day to day dealings.

 

> Hope it helps,

 

It does not help David .. it confuses and throws crap in the game.

There is enough hollering Wolf by the chemists and self styled Ralph

Nader II types in this industry. Lets keep it real.

 

> David Roman

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch