Cargo and environmental impacts

Cargo can be damaged by environmental factors, and impaired leading to decrease in their quality as goods. Some weather variable factors such as heat, frost or humidity complicate the technological process of transportation. Individual cargo groups are sensitive to the negative impacts of too high and too low temperatures and humidity.

Some cargo is high temperature sensitive (Lowe & Davies, 2021). Certain cargoes are perishable and need to be refrigerated to prevent spoilage during transportation and storage. For example, fresh chilled meat or fish can be transported at 0, minus 1-degree, chilled meat at minus 6, and strongly frozen at minus 18 to 20 degrees. Transporting such cargo requires special vehicles that allow maintaining the set negative temperature regime during transportation. Perishable goods (mainly food) can be divided into separate groups:

• Fruits, vegetables, berries, mushrooms, a variety of their products, preserves.
• Meat, poultry, fish, as well as their products, canned goods.
• Eggs and their products.
• Natural and artificial fats and oils.
• Milk and milk products.
• Non-alcoholic beverages, for example, juice and alcohol such as a beer, wine, wine-making components.

Some cargo is low temperature sensitive. Bulk cargoes are not resistant to cold, they lose their disintegrating properties during transport, and their particles freeze and freeze to the floor of the vehicle body such as coal, gypsum, lime, gravel at temperatures below 0 degrees. The negative impact of cold is also often made on the production of the chemical industry. Paints, glues, emulsions are often freezing. After warming up, the goods may not change visually, but their properties may change significantly. It is quite difficult to control this in the process of receiving goods, but such goods may no longer meet expectations after they are used for their intended purpose. Cold can also negatively affect perishable goods. Certain products that have been frozen too much, for example, tomatoes will also not be suitable for consumption when thawed afterwards.

According to the impact of the cargo itself on the environment as degree of danger, cargo can be divided as follows:

• Non-hazardous, for instance various building materials, industrial goods.
• Dusty, for instance s cement, mineral fertilizers.
• Hot, for instance hot bitumen or asphalt.
• Dangerous due to dimensions, for instance oversized loads that exceed the dimensions of vehicles and require special permits for their transport.
• Dangerous due to their chemical composition, for instance flammable liquids and explosive substances. The greatest danger to the environment can be caused by cargoes that are dangerous due to their chemical composition.

In 1953 The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations established the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods which elaborated the unified system of dangerous goods classification. Numbers are used to identify dangerous goods, which are included in the list of substances compiled by the United Nations are recognized worldwide.

Dangerous goods are specific materials or products that can explode, cause fire, damage vehicles and cause damage to human health, or to the natural environment such as drink water resources, during loading and unloading or transportation (Almási, 2023). Dangerous goods must be packed in a neat, tight and clean container intended for the transport of such goods. Each cargo unit must be marked. The preparation of dangerous goods for transport and their transportation and trans-shipment are usually generating activities in more than one country, therefore, in addition to the laws of individual countries regulating the issues of transportation of dangerous goods, the same issues are also resolved by international institutions. They have prepared international rules for the transport of dangerous goods for individual modes of transport. When transporting cargo by road on international routes, it is necessary to comply with the requirements set forth in the European Agreement on the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road – ADR Convention. The transport of dangerous goods by rail is regulated by the Rules for the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail – RID Rules. In air transport, the International Civil Air Transport Organization – ICAO and the International Air Transport Association – IATA rules for the carriage of dangerous goods and the appendix to the rules – Dangerous Goods Directory – DGR are currently in force. In maritime transport, dangerous goods are transported in accordance with the International Agreement for the Safety of Life at Sea – SOLAS, as well as amendments and clarifications made based on the International Code for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Sea.

Depending on the danger posed by the dangerous substance or product, these cargoes are divided into dangerous cargo classes: Class 1 – explosive substances and articles (e.g. black powder), Class 2 – gases (e.g. aerosols), Class 3 – flammable liquids (e.g. gasoline), class 4.1 – flammable solids (e.g. Sulphur), class 4.2 – self-igniting substances (e.g. activated carbon), class 4.3 – substances that emit flammable gases in contact with water (e.g. zinc powder ), Class 5.1 – oxidizing agents (e.g. potassium permanganate), Class 5.2 – organic peroxides (e.g. acetylacetone peroxide), Class 6.1 – toxic substances (e.g. pesticides), Class 6.2 – infectious agents (e.g. vaccines ), class 7 – radioactive substances (e.g. uranium), class 8 – corrosive substances (e.g. sulfuric acid), class 9 – various dangerous substances and products (e.g. dry ice).

When transporting dangerous goods, vehicles are marked with special plates. The number on such plate represents the hazard identification number of the substance and the number in the denominator represents the UN number. Systematization and numerical marking of dangerous substances allows for faster and more accurate identification of substance in case of emergency. This is especially relevant for special rescue services. Medical aid specialists, fire safety officers can determine exactly what measures to take in the event of vehicle accidents when rescuing people and extinguishing fires (Conca at al., 2016).

Share or comment this information on your social media: