Summary

In this activity, students will take on the role of a Dangerous Goods Specialist for a large chemical company. In this role, students will research a specific commercially available industrial chemical looking at both the properties of the compound as well as how can they safely ship the chemical to a buyer in a cost effective and timely manner.

Grade Level

Middle School, High School

NGSS Alignment

This activity will help prepare your students to meet the following scientific and engineering practices:

• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• Discuss hazards of materials including: toxicity, flammability, volatility.
• Understand real world applications for industrial chemicals.
• Recognize how to read and write a Safety Data Sheet for a chemical.
• Have a better understanding of the logistics and regulations for shipping commercial chemicals around the globe, as well as their importance.

Chemistry Topics

• Chemical Safety
• Physical Properties
• Chemical Properties

Time

Teacher Preparation: 30-45 min
Lesson: 2-3 days

Materials

• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) template
• Global Harmonized Systems (GHS) template
• Shipping Checklist template
• Laptops/iPads (internet access)
• MERCK Manuals (if available)
• Optional supplies if students do a physical poster presentation:
  • Poster board
  • Assorted paper
  • Markers/colored pencils
  • Stencils

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• This project-based activity would work well with groups of 3-4 students or can also be completed individually. If using groups, have the students determine how the work will be split up amongst the group. One student should be the “Manager” who oversees the work so that the product is shipped by the deadline.
• Create a list of chemical formulas for commercially available substances that you feel will engage your students. Do not use the names of the substances, only list their chemical formulas, so students will need to research the formulas to determine what the substance actually is.
  • This resource from the FAA is a great starting point for generating a list of chemicals for this activity. It includes a lot of things students might not think of as “dangerous goods” and yet they can still pose a risk to the people transporting them. Some examples include: aerosolized products (hair spray, deodorant, spray paint, etc.), hydrogen peroxide, nail polish, acetone, bleach, smoke alarms, lithium batteries, pesticides and insecticides, etc.
• Based on the substances you choose, set a predetermined shipping amount (by mass or volume, for example) for the assignment. This way, everyone is using a standard amount when researching shipping costs. Depending on the chemicals on your list and how they are typically measured, you may need to provide a mass limit for solids, volume limit for liquids, etc.
• Give the students a choice of how they want to present their project information to the class. All should complete a SDS (Safety Data Sheet) and GHS (Global Harmonized System) label sheet for their substance as well as a Shipping Label for their container. I suggest having students turn these in as part of their grade. After that, allow them options for the rest (physical poster, Prezi, video, etc.).
  • The American Chemical Society (ACS) and AACT have numerous resources related to SDSs and GHS. Some of the following may be helpful for the teacher and/or students:
    • ACS Center for Lab Safety: Safety Data Sheets
    • Video: Safety Information: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
    • Video: Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
    • Simulation: Safety Data Sheets
  • This FAA resource provides good information about marking and labeling hazardous materials, including a pdf summary showing various labels that might be required.
  • Labelmaster is another good resource for this activity, particularly their site DOT Hazmat Labels, Placards, and Markings – A Guide, which also includes a Hazmat Infographic.
• For the extension question about the importance of safety regulations, students may mention personal safety of people responsible for transport, environmental and/or economical impact if products are mishandled or accidentally released, reputational impact if there is an incident, etc. They may also cite specific scenarios in which there have been safety issues due to hazardous materials (ex: lithium batteries catching fire on planes, East Palestine, OH train derailment in 2023, etc.). Their response to this question could also be incorporated into their presentation.
• Make sure students are using reputable sites when researching their substances.
• See student handout for specific research requirements.
• Classroom resources from the AACT Library that may be used to further teach this topic include:
  • Simulation: Safety Data Sheets
  • Video: Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
  • Lesson Plan: Lab Safety and Safety Data Sheets
  • Activity: Analyzing & Creating Safety Labels
  • Project: Chemical Disasters: Good Chemicals Gone Bad!
  • Activity: Hazard Symbols