U.S. Department of Transportation
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News

PHMSA 1-07
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Contact: James Wiggins/Joe Delcambre
202-366-4831

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Revises Requirements for Oxygen Cylinders and Oxygen Generators Carried by Aircraft

To reduce the risk of an oxygen-fueled aircraft cargo fire, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a final rule in today’s Federal Register that requires compressed oxygen cylinders and chemical oxygen generators to be packed in outer packaging that meets new flame penetration and thermal resistance requirements.

The new packaging standard will prevent compressed oxygen cylinders and oxygen generators from rupturing and venting their contents and potentially causing a fire, said Thomas J. Barrett, administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“Preventing aircraft cargo fires is an ongoing focus of the Department. This new rule revises regulations to further improve aviation safety when compressed oxygen cylinders and chemical oxygen generators are transported on aircraft,” said Barrett.

Previously, a limited number of oxygen cylinders were allowed to be carried in the cabin and cargo compartments of passenger-carrying aircraft, as long as each was placed in an overpack or outer packaging that met Air Transport Association (ATA) specifications. The new packaging standard exceeds the current ATA specifications.

As part of an ongoing effort that followed the 1996 crash of a ValuJet airliner, safety testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that additional protection of oxygen cylinders is necessary for their safe transportation on board aircraft.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates the transportation of all hazardous materials in commerce under authority provided by the 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 171-180, (Hazardous Materials Regulations). Additional information about the new final rule can be found online at the DOT Docket Management System, http://dms.dot.gov/, under Docket No. RSPA-04-17664 (HM-224B).

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