HazMat Bingo

Ever notice those diamond shaped signs on the side of cargo trucks? They often display a four digit number. This number is a hazardous materials (HazMat) code number, used by rescue personnel in responding to an emergency involving the vehicle.

Recently I’ve been driving on a particular highway in my area on which much cargo travels, so I’ve been noticing these signs. Certain ones such as 1203 for gasoline/petrol are very common, but others like 1846 (carbon tetrachloride) are quite rare. Here’s a game based on them.

To play this game you need some bingo-like cards with a 5x5 grid. Each card is different. In the grid boxes are randomly listed items like the following:

* The numbers themselves (1977, 1203, etc.)
* Names of the substances (liquid oxygen, petrol, etc.)
* Elements within them (carbon, nitrogen, etc.)
* Characteristics (flammable, liquid, acidic, etc.)

The driver leads the game, but does not play. When a truck is spotted, the driver calls out the HazMat number. Each player may now mark exactly one square on their card. Often more than one will match, so there is some strategy here: if dad calls out 1075 and you have squares containing “LP gas”, “carbon” and “flammable” you have to make a choice.

If you get five in a row, call out “HAZMAT!” and you win that game.

To aid new players, a few seconds after calling out the hazmat code the driver calls out the name of the corresponding chemical. And a few seconds after that, call out its characteristics too.

A new way to occupy the kids on those long trips, and maybe (just maybe) help them learn a little science.