Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hazmat cargo gets a once over at ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

Cargo containers and trucks that contain hazardous materials were subjected to a thorough inspection on Wednesday at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The multi-agency effort to ensure that hazmat shipments are handled correctly involved the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the California Highway Patrol and police departments.

"We're making sure that anything that comes through the port that's hazmat is properly shipped, with proper markings and labels, and that it's blocked and braced," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class David Rice, a marine science technician.

Last year, in a similar effort, 7000 containers were inspected.

When containers were reviewed with hazardous materials placards on the outside, containers were first aired out, and then a small electronic device was used to check for dangerous gases.

For more of the Mercury News story: mercurynews.com

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