Packing and shipment
Postal Regulations and Safety
Countries have their own regulations governing the packing and transport of
biological material in their domestic mail. International Postal Regulations
regarding the postage of human and animal pathogens are very strict on account
of the safety hazard they present. There are several organisations that set
regulations controlling the international transfer of such material. These
include the International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO), United Nations Committee of Experts on the
Transport of Dangerous Goods, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the World
Health Organisation (WHO). It is common place to send micro-organisms by post,
as this is more convenient and less expensive than air-freight. However, many
countries prohibit the movement of biological substances through their postal
services. The International Bureau of the UPU in Bern publishes all import and
export restrictions for biological materials by national postal services. This
information can also be found in the countries table published in the DSMZ
Shipping of infectious, non-infectious and genetically modified biological
materials. International Regulations brochure:
http://www.gbf.de/dsmz/shippingy Today 26, 14-16. A fuller
version of this paper is available on the Society for General Microbiology web site:
http://www.socgenmicrobiol.org.uk
Packaging
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) require that packaging used for the transport
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) require that packing used for the
transport of risk groups 2, 3 or 4 must meet defined standards, IATA packing
instruction 602 (class 6.2). Packing must meet EN 829 triple containment
requirements for risk group 1 organisms. However, micro-organisms that qualify
as dangerous goods (class 6.2) and are sent by air, must be in UN certified
packages. These packages must be sent by air-freight if the postal services of
the countries through which it passes do not allow the organisms in their postal
systems. They can only be sent by airmail if the National Postal authorities
accept them. There are additional costs above the freight charges and package
costs, if the carrier does not have its own fleet; the package and documentation
will require checking at the airport DGR centre for which a fee is charged.
Material sent by surface mail has to comply with the ADR regulations, requiring
packaging according to instruction P620. When ordering infectious material the
CBS will notify you of the special conditions and the extra charges for the
shipment by special courier.
In case of damageunpacking,
put parcel as it is in a water-tight (plastic) bag and autoclave this as soon as
possible. Do not return the material,
but notify the sender about the condition
of the material received.