When you ship dangerous goods by air, 49 CFR 171.22 authorizes you to ship in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) technical instructions incorporated by the International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR).
According to IATA DGR 8.2.6, when shipping articles or substances that could be suspected of being dangerous goods, but do not meet the criteria for any of the IATA hazard classes or divisions, these materials can be shipped as not restricted, provided the words “Not Restricted” are included in the description of the article or substance on the Air Waybill. When you place this statement on an Air Waybill, you are indicating that you have determined that the shipment is not a dangerous good.
For example, if you ship a dilute sulfuric acid solution by air, you can have the solution tested in accordance with the test criteria specified in IATA sections 3.8.2 and 3.8.3 to determine if it meets the criteria for a Class 8. If the sulfuric acid solution is found not to meet the definition of a Class 8 corrosive and if it does not meet any other hazard class criteria, it is not restricted. And the “Not Restricted” entry is required on the Air Waybill in accordance with IATA DGR 8.2.6.
For many dangerous goods, a special provision indicated in column M of the IATA Dangerous Goods List indicates that they can qualify as being not restricted. In these cases, the entry “Not Restricted” along with the special provision number must be entered on the Air Waybill indicating that a special provision referenced in column M of the Dangerous Goods List for that dangerous good has been applied to the shipment.
For example, special provision A98 appears in column M of the Dangerous Goods List for “Aerosols, non-flammable.” Special provision A98 defines certain non-flammable aerosols that are not regulated in air transportation and requires that “Not Restricted” and the special provision number be entered on the Air Waybill accompanying the shipment of non-regulated aerosols.
IATA DGR 8.2.6 also indicates that the entry of “Not Restricted” be indicated on the Air Waybill, or an alternative transport document, when packages bearing a Globally Harmonized System (GHS) pictogram are offered for transportation but do not contain materials meeting the definition of dangerous goods.