Chemical Compatibility in the U.S. Navy

The United States Navy has created a chemical compatibility matrix by consolidating information from previous Navy instructions, International Maritime Organization’s International Maritime Dangerous Goods compatibility chart, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Cameo Chemicals database.  The compatibility matrix will be used by U.S. Navy ships in the management of their hazardous materials.

               U.S. Navy ships can have anywhere from one to several storerooms for hazardous materials, along with storage lockers in a few other work centers throughout the ship, storing several hundred different products.  The Navy utilizes a categorization system called the Hazard Characteristic Code (HCC) comprising 65 categories.  Previous compatibility charts have been confusing and incomplete.  Even a 65 by 65 matrix is considered to be too large to be readily used.  The challenge was to create an easy to use chart for personnel who are typically not versed in chemistry.  The Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock Division, Environmental Quality Department created a 13 by 13 matrix covering 31 HCCs encompassing the most frequently procured products.  The Naval Supply Systems Command is in the process of implementing a color key storage management system utilizing the smaller matrix.