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May 2, 2000 8:50 AM, EDT

Hazardous material shipments will increase in the United States and so may the potential for disasters involving multiple deaths and mass evacuations unless the Department of Transportation does a better job, warns a federal investigative team.

This dramatic statement was part of a special report by the Hazardous Materials Program Evaluation team to document movements of such items and to assess DOT’s hazardous materials program.

The report said DOT’s programs work “reasonably well, but could be improved” in the approximately 300 million hazardous waste shipments that occur annually.

Intermodal and air traffic are particularly crucial transportation sectors with regard to hazardous materials, especially since the overall annual increase in such substances is projected at 2%, according to the report.

For the full story, see the May 1 print edition of Transport Topics. .