On January 1, 2009, new international regulations for transporting hazardous materials by air and vessel will go into effect. New marking requirements and revisions to existing ones are included in the regulations. Labels and markings compliant with the new regulations are furthermore now offered by Labelmaster, a distributor of regulatory compliance products. According to the company:
- The Revised Excepted Quantities Label is required on all packages containing excepted quantities of dangerous goods shipped by air and vessel. The paper label includes an area for the primary hazard class or division, and the name of the shipper or consignee, if necessary.
- The Revised Cargo Aircraft Only Label is required on all packaging that contains dangerous goods, which are authorized to be shipped only on cargo aircraft. The old version will still be authorized for use until December 31, 2012.
- The Lithium Battery Handling Label is required on certain packaging carrying lithium-ion or lithium-metal batteries by aircraft. This paper label has space to designate whether the packaging contains a lithium-ion battery or a lithium-metal battery, plus a contact phone number as required by the regulations.
- The Environmentally Hazardous Substance Marking replaces the current Marine Pollutant Marking requirement for certain vessel shipments of dangerous goods. The marking will now be required for air shipments of certain packages containing environmentally hazardous substances under UN3077 and UN3082. The old version of the Marine Pollutant Marking may be used until January 1, 2010.