TIH (toxic industrial hazard)

TIH stands for toxic industrial hazard. In NATO terminology it names a hazard that comes from toxic industrial materials, as opposed to a hazard from chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. NATO's glossary of acronyms and abbreviations pairs the phrase toxic industrial hazard with the abbreviation TIH.

NATO's CBRN doctrine treats TIHs as hazards tied to toxic industrial materials. Those materials can be released accidentally, released deliberately, or released as collateral damage during operations, and they can expose personnel and civilian populations to dangerous effects, as set out in STANAG 2522. The term belongs to CBRN defence and military operational planning.

How NATO separates TIH from TIM, TIC, TIB and TIR

NATO uses toxic industrial material (TIM) as the generic category. A TIM is a toxic or radioactive compound used or stored for industrial, commercial, military or domestic purposes. Doctrine in STANAG 2521 says these materials can be chemical, biological or radioactive, and can be described as toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), toxic industrial biologicals (TIBs) or toxic industrial radiologicals (TIRs).

• TIM: toxic industrial material, the generic category.
• TIC: toxic industrial chemical.
• CBRN: chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear.
• HAZCHEM: international chemical hazard marking terminology.

In short, the material is the TIM, and the danger it creates when released is the TIH.

What makes an industrial chemical a significant hazard

NATO doctrine names the factors that can make an industrial chemical a significant hazard: quantity, volatility, toxicity, flammability, corrosivity, reactivity and causticity. A large stock of a moderately toxic chemical can matter as much as a small stock of a highly toxic one. Planners weigh these factors together when judging what a release near a base, a route or a civilian population could cause.

TIH in NATO CBRN training standards

NATO's CBRN education, training and evaluation standards require CBRN personnel to understand TIH threats, prepare contingency plans and advise commanders on TIH matters. TIH is therefore a working planning topic for CBRN defence staff and not only a glossary entry.

TIH as toxic-by-inhalation in Canadian transportation

Canadian transportation regulation uses the same three letters for a different idea. Transport Canada's notice on the new edition of CAN/CGSB-43.147 refers to toxic-by-inhalation (TIH) service for railway tank cars and to specifications for TIH tank cars. The notice identifies CAN/CGSB-43.147-2023 as a standard intended for incorporation by reference into the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations.

This is a dangerous-goods transportation term. It describes a class of rail service and tank-car specification, and it is not the NATO CBRN term.

What TIH means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

A bid team that meets TIH in a solicitation should first confirm which meaning applies. In a defence or CBRN requirement, it is likely to carry the NATO sense of toxic industrial hazard. In a rail or dangerous-goods requirement, it carries the toxic-by-inhalation sense tied to tank cars.

Any supplier obligation comes from the solicitation itself: the statement of work, the technical standard it cites, the dangerous-goods requirement or the defence specification. Read how the document uses the term, check the referenced standards, and ask the contracting authority to clarify through the tender's question process if the usage is unclear.