Dangerous goods or
hazardous goods are
solids,
liquids, or
gases that can harm people, other living
organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to
chemical regulations. In the
United States,
United Kingdom and sometimes in
Canada, dangerous goods are more commonly known as
hazardous materials (abbreviated as
HAZMAT or
hazmat). Hazmat teams are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods, which include materials that are
radioactive,
flammable,
explosive,
corrosive,
oxidizing,
asphyxiating,
biohazardous,
toxic,
pathogenic, or
allergenic. Also included are physical conditions such as compressed gases and liquids or hot materials, including all goods containing such materials or chemicals, or may have other characteristics that render them hazardous in specific circumstances.