It is estimated that 5-10% of the freight containers entering the Netherlands contain toxic gases or vapours. In this article BaSystemen briefly explains:
- Dutch legislation on container gases
- Gas measurement
Legislation
There is no specific Dutch legislation for import containers that still contain residual gases. However, customs must be able to carry out a physical inspection (FYCO) on containers, and first requires a gas-free certificate for this. Since 01/01/2015 this has to be done by someone who is qualified at least to intermediate gas measurement expert (MGK) level.
In addition, the Dutch working conditions decree states:
- ''If it can be suspected that the atmosphere in a space contains substances to such an extent that there is a risk of asphyxiation, narcosis, poisoning, fire or explosion, the employee may only be present in that space if investigation shows that the hazard is not present.’’.
- ''If the investigation referred to in the first paragraph shows that a risk of asphyxiation, narcosis, poisoning, fire or explosion is present, effective measures shall be taken so that the employee can be present in the space referred to in the first paragraph without danger.''
In short: the employee must not only be able to enter the container safely, but must also remain safe there throughout the work. For container measurements this means that a measurement on entry alone is not always sufficient; measurements may also have to be taken further into the container during unloading.
Who is responsible for this? The consignee.
Gas measurement
What do you come across? Increasingly it appears to involve gases related to the production process that have off-gassed into the container during the journey here. The resulting problems may already show up at the port of discharge, but because containers are better sealed they increasingly end up at the final destination in the logistics chain. Those parties are then faced with unpredictable and dangerous situations.
Import containers may contain harmful gases for the following four reasons:
- The gases were deliberately injected into the container to kill pests.
- After the production process, the gases have off-gassed from the product.
- During transport a chemical reaction took place in the container, releasing gases and vapours.
- Hazardous substances were transported whose packaging started to leak.
Below are commonly occurring hazardous gases and their limit values that may be found in import containers:
| Gas/vapour | CAS number | Limit value (mg/m3) | Limit value (ppm) |
| Benzene | 71-43-2 | 0.65 | 0.2 |
| Formaldehyde | 50-00-0 | 0.15 | 0.1 |
| 1,2- dichloroethane | 107-06-2 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Methyl bromide (banned) | 74-83-9 | x | 0.25 |
| Sulfuryl fluoride | 2699-79-8 | x | 3 |
| Chloropicrin | 76-06-2 | x | 0.1 |
| Carbon monoxide | 630-08-0 | ? | 20 |
| Ammonia | 7664-41-7 | 14 | 20 |
| Ethylene oxide | 75-21-8 | 0.84 | 0.5 |
| Phosphine | 7803-51-2 | 0.14 | 0.1 |
| Toluene | 108-88-3 | 150 | 40 |
That is all very well, so what now?
You know best which exporters you work with and whether or not they deliberately inject gas into containers. If that is unclear, or if there is a chance that gases or vapours are only released during transport for one of the reasons above, there are professional parties that can carry out the measurements for you.
If you would rather take matters into your own hands, BaSystemen has, depending on the type of containers you import, assembled gas measurement cases available that can be rented or purchased for measuring container gases. Present your situation to our specialists and we will be happy to help you find suitable equipment. Visit our page for all instruments.
The legislation and limit values mentioned in this article may be subject to change.
Would you like to know more about measuring gases or other topics? Please feel free to contact us.
