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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Advisory Notice; Transportation of Lithium Batteries

Advisory notice.

RSPA (we) is aware of an incident during transportation in which a fire occurred in a shipment of primary lithium batteries which are excepted from the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). We are issuing this advisory notice to (1) inform persons of this incident and the potential hazards that shipments of lithium batteries may present while in transportation, (2) recommend actions to offerors and transporters to ensure the safety of such shipments, (3) provide information concerning the current requirements for the transportation of lithium batteries, (4) inform persons of recommendations that we received from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the transportation of lithium batteries and our response to those recommendations, (5) inform persons of the actions we have taken to date and plan to take in the future to address the hazards of these batteries, and (6) provide information concerning initiatives being taken by members of the battery manufacturing and distribution industry to address concerns relating to transportation of these batteries.

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