ADR (treaty)
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ADR, formally the Agreement of 30 September 1957 concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road is a 1957
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treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...
that governs transnational transport of hazardous materials. "ADR" is derived from the French name for the treaty: ''Accord relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route''). Until 31 December 2020, the treaty was fully named European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. However, as the word "European" might have given the impression that the treaty was only open for accession to European states, an amendment was decided in the end of 2019. Concluded in
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on 30 September 1957 under the aegis of the
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, it entered into force on 29 January 1968. The agreement was modified (article 14, paragraph 3) in
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on 21 August 1975, though these changes only took effect on 19 April 1985. A new amended ADR 2011 entered into force on 1 January 2011. Annexes A and B have been regularly amended and updated since the entry into force of ADR. Consequently, to the amendments for entry into force on 1 January 2015 (until June 2017), a revised consolidated version has been published as document ECE/TRANS/242, Vol. I and II. Every two years the regulations are updated with the latest version applicable being the ADR 2021 As of 2022, 54 states are party to ADR.


Contents

The agreement itself is brief and simple, and its most important article is article 2. This article states that with the exception of certain exceptionally dangerous materials, hazardous materials may in general be transported internationally in wheeled vehicles, provided that two sets of conditions be met: # Annex A regulates the merchandise involved, notably their packaging and labels. # Annex B regulates the construction, equipment, and use of vehicles for the transport of hazardous materials. The appendices consist of nine chapters, with the following contents # General provisions: terminology, general requirements # Classification: classification of dangerous goods (CDG) # Dangerous Goods List sorted by UN number, with references to specific requirements set in chapters 3 to 9; special provisions and exemptions related to dangerous goods packed in limited quantities # Packaging and tank provisions # Consignment procedures, labeling, and marking of containers and vehicles. # Construction and testing of packagings, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), large packagings, and tanks # Conditions of carriage, loading, unloading, and handling # Vehicle crews, equipment, operation, and documentation # Construction and approval of vehicles


Hazard classes

The classes of dangerous goods according to ADR are the following: *Class 1 Explosive substances and articles *Class 2 Gases, including compressed, liquified, and dissolved under pressure gases and vapors ** Flammable gases (e.g. butane, propane, acetylene) ** Non-flammable and non-toxic, likely to cause asphyxiation (e.g. nitrogen, CO2) or oxidisers (e.g. oxygen) ** Toxic (e.g. chlorine, phosgene) *Class 3 Flammable liquids *Class 4.1 Flammable solids, self-reactive substances, and solid desensitized explosives *Class 4.2 Substances liable to spontaneous combustion *Class 4.3 Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases *Class 5.1 Oxidizing substances *Class 5.2 Organic peroxides *Class 6.1 Toxic substances *Class 6.2 Infectious substances *Class 7 Radioactive material *Class 8 Corrosive substances *Class 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles Each entry in the different classes has been assigned a 4 digit
UN number A UN number (United Nations number) is a four-digit number that identifies hazardous materials, and articles (such as explosives, flammable liquids, oxidizers, toxic, toxic liquids, etc.) in the framework of international trade and transport. Some ...
. It is not usually possible to deduce the hazard class of a substance from its UN number: they have to be looked up in a table. An exception to this are Class 1 substances whose UN number will always begin with a 0. See
List of UN numbers The UN numbers range from UN0001 to about UN3600 and are assigned by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. UN 0001 to 0600 * List of UN numbers 0001 to 0100 * List of UN numbers 0101 to 0200 * List of UN ...
.


Tunnel classifications

The ADR Secretariat has defined a classification system for major tunnels in Europe. "The categorization sbased on the assumption that in tunnels there are three major dangers
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
may cause numerous victims or serious damage to the tunnel structure." It is the responsibility of each national authority to categorize its tunnels accordingly. The classes ranges from A (least restrictive), to E (most restrictive). , in the United Kingdom for example, the least restrictive was the tunnel carrying the A299 to the
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, while the most restrictive were several tunnels in East London, including the Limehouse Link tunnel, the Rotherhithe Tunnel, the
Blackwall Tunnel The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south ...
and the
East India Dock The East India Docks were a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin and listed perimeter wall remain visible. History Early history Following the successful creation of the We ...
Link Tunnel.


ADR pictograms

ADR pictograms for chemical hazards are based on GHS Transport pictograms and Non-GHS transport pictograms Image:ADR 1.svg, 1 Explosives Image:ADR 2.1.svg, 2.1 Flammable gases Image:ADR 2.2.svg, 2.2 Non-toxic and non-flammable gases Image:ADR 2.3.svg, 2.3 Poison gases Image:ADR 3.svg, 3 Flammable liquids Image:ADR 4.1.svg, 4.1 Flammable solids Image:ADR 4.2.svg, 4.2 Spontaneously combustibles Image:ADR 4.3.svg, 4.3 Dangerous when wet Image:ADR 5.1.svg, 5.1 Oxidizers Image:ADR 5.2.svg, 5.2 Organic peroxides Image:Dangclass6 1.svg, 6.1 Poison Image:ADR 6.2.svg, 6.2 Infectious substances Image:ADR 7B.svg, 7 Radioactive Image:UN transport pictogram - 8.svg, 8 Corrosive Image:ADR 9.svg, 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances Image:ADR 9A.svg, 9A Lithium Ion Batteries


See also

*
Dangerous goods Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...
* European hazard symbols * Hazchem – a system used in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
for marking dangerous goods *
ATEX directive The ATEX directives are two EU directives describing the minimum safety requirements for workplaces and equipment used in explosive atmospheres. The name is an initialization of the French term ''Appareils destinés à être utilisés en ATmo ...
– two EU directives governing permitted equipment in explosive environments


References

Notes Sources
"Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road"
on the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and ...
website


External links


Full text of the ADR 2021UN Model regulations ("Orange book") 2019ADR Book - Dangerous Goods by Road
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