Hazardous and Dangerous Items

Examples of permitted listings

If listing a permitted but hazardous item, sellers must ensure they are shipping the item in compliance with Department of Transportation requirements and applicable laws.

• Batteries that do not contain mercury
• Rechargeable batteries
• Portable fuel containers certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Examples of prohibited listings

• Products containing Bisphenol A (BPA)
• Items containing Carbon Tetrachloride, such as:
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Refrigerants
  • Cleaning agents
• Any chemical substance or compound that is intended for commercial, industrial, or professional use only and is not available for general consumer purchase
• Explosives, such as:
  • Black powder
  • Caps for toy guns
  • Explosive fuses
  • Exploding rifle targets
  • Fireworks, such as:
    • Firecrackers
    • Firework kits
    • Aerial bombs
    • Bottle rockets
    • Party poppers
    • Roman candles
    • Smoke bombs
    • Snap caps
    • Sparklers
  • Flares, such as projectile and road flares
  • Flash paper
  • Gasoline
• Sky lanterns or floating lanterns
• Bacteria cultures or other products containing E coli or Escherichia coli
• Hydrofluoric acid
• Inflatable Neck Floats for children
• Information on how to make explosive devices, such as bombs
• Kite strings that are intended for kite fighting
• Military-style gas masks and their filters
• Nitric acid
• Products containing red phosphorous
• Products containing thermite
• Products containing tritium that do not comply with the regulations of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Products that do not comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act
• Used oil, such as cooking oil or motor oil
• Water walking balls
• Products contaminated by radiation
• Liquid mercury and products containing mercury, such as:
  • Automotive switches, relays, and diostats
  • Batteries, with the exception of alkaline-manganese button cell batteries containing up to 25 mg of mercury
  • Manometers, sphygmomanometers, and other medical devices containing mercury
  • Mercury-added consumer novelty products such as toys, games, cards, jewelry, apparel, and footwear
  • Thermometers
  • Thermostats
  • Wheel weights
• Products containing cyanide
• Individual magnets or magnet sets that are small enough to fit inside a cylinder that is 1.25 inches (31.7 mm) in diameter and 2.25 inches (57.1 mm) long (For example: “small parts cylinder” or “choking tube”) and have a flux index greater than 50 kg²mm² (50 kg2mm2) are prohibited from sale. Specifically, this includes individual magnets and magnet sets that are marketed or commonly used as a manipulative or construction items for entertainment, such as puzzle working, sculpture building, mental stimulation, or stress relief. Additionally, the following magnet set brands are specifically prohibited for sale:
  • Buckyballs
  • Buck balls
  • Buckybars
  • Bucky Bigs
  • Buckycubes
  • CyberCube
  • Dynocube
  • Hurry Harris balls
  • Magnicube (also called 'Mag Cube')
  • Neocubes
  • Neocubix
  • Nanodots
  • Neo spheres
  • Puzzle Spheres (ONLY if they are magnets or magnetic)
  • Zen magnets set
• Prohibited ozone-depleting substances (ODS), such as:
  • Appliances prohibited by EPA because they contain certain ozone-depleting refrigerants
  • Class I and Class II ODS prohibited by EPA, as well as blends of prohibited ODS, and products containing prohibited ODS
  • Substitutes for Class I or Class II ODS that are not reviewed and approved by EPA in accordance with the Significant New Alternative Policy Program, as well as substitute refrigerants that are subject to sales restrictions under EPA regulations and are not eligible for any exemption
• Vehicle airbags and airbag covers
• Toy crossbows that have the capability of shooting small, sharp projectiles (e.g., toothpicks, pins)

See also

• Postal Service Publication 52, which provides details on transportation requirements for some hazardous substances
• Office of Hazardous Materials Safety
• EPA-Mercury in Your Environment, which provides information about laws regulating products that contain mercury
• EPA-Mercury in Batteries, which provides information about laws regulating batteries that contain mercury
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which provides information about tritium
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• EPA Phaseout of Ozone-Depleting Substances
• EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy Program
• EPA Safe Drinking Water Act

Last updated 01/22/2020