Features 
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1-17 UJUUSTO. MUC3 L Utlo 
ETIO LOGIC -AGENTS 
BIOMEDICAL 
MATERIAL 
IN CASE OF DAMAGE 
OR .LEAKAGE 
NOTinr DIRECTOR CSC 
ATLANTA. GEORGIA 
404 / 633-5313 
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is respon- 
sible for preparing and promulgating regulations cov- 
ering the international carriage of dangerous goods by 
air, has testing requirements for biological specimens 
packaged in any volume. The key test criterion is that 
there be no leakage to the outside from the inner 
package. Postal requirements for packaging, delin- 
eated in the International Mail Manual, basically 
reflect common sense. 
A good practice for packaging all infectious sub- 
stances is to enclose and heat seal the primary package 
in 5-mil polyethylene tubing. Sealed specimens of 
infectious substances (including plant pathogens) 
should usually be placed into seamless aluminum 
screw-cap cans and then taped closed with a content 
description wrapped around the exterior. This second- 
ary container should then be inserted into another 
container (a fiberboard screw-cap container can be 
used in this case) and taped closed with a label indi- 
cating that the package should be opened only in the 
laboratory. These procedures will prevent unnecessary 
exposure of personnel in receiving departments and 
others. 
Frozen specimens of infectious substances should 
be packaged in a substantial container (plastic or 
metal) and inserted into a styrofoam box with ade- 
quate cushioning so that specimens are not broken in 
handling as the surrounding dry ice dissipates. For 
safety, use a vented container. In a sealed container, 
dry ice can cause a serious explosion. 
Labeling and Marking 
For infectious substances, the red and white "Bio- 
medical Material” label cited in 42 CFR 72 is accept- 
able for domestic — but not international — shipment 
through the postal service. The black and w'hite, dia- 
mond-shape "Infectious Substance” label as presented 
in ICAO Technical Instructions, Part 4, 3.4.1, nor- 
mally is acceptable in all instances. The dangerous 
goods transport document is not needed in domestic 
shipping for specimens but may still be required by 
freight forwarders other than the postal service. Al- 
though the international postal service has an exemp- 
tion for this document (ICAO Technical Instructions, 
Part 1, 1.4), some airlines, even though they are 
members of IATA, might reject the shipment. 
The outer container must be marked (in capital 
letters) "INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE, AFFECTING 
HUMANS 6.2 UN 2814,” followed (in parentheses) by 
the genus of the agent. Even though the shipment 
might be freeze-dried material and "up” arrows are not 
applicable, there might be a delay in transit unless the 
arrows are marked on opposite sides of the package. 
Restrictions on Quantities 
All regulations limit the quantity of the infectious 
substance to 50 milliliters (50 grams) for shipment 
aboard passenger aircraft. And, according to ICAO 
Technical Instructions, Part 5, 1.1, an infectious sub- 
stance must not be carried in an aircraft cabin occu- 
pied by passengers. Quantities over 50 milliliters re- 
quire special arrangements and may be carried only on 
cargo aircraft, with am upper limit of 4 liters in any 
single package. No single container within a package 
should have more than 500 milliliters. Presently, it is 
not very difficult to find "all cargo” carriers for domes- 
Countries or regions that prohibit movement of perishable 
biological substances and/or infectious substances through the 
postal service 
Afghanistan 
French Polynesia 
Peru 
Albania 
Gabon 
Philippines” 
Algeria 
Federal Republic 
Pitcairn Island 
Angola” 
of Germany” 
Qatar* 
Anguilla 
Gibraltar 
Reunion 
Bahamas 
Greece 
Rumania” 
Belgium” 
Guadeloupe 
Rwanda 
Benin 
Guinea-Bissau” 
St Lucia 
Bermuda” 
Guvana 
St. Pierre & 
Bhutan” 
Haiti 
Miguelon 
Bolivia 
Honduras 
Saudi Arabia 
Brunei 
Iraq 
Somalia* 
Burkina 
Jordan 
Spain” 
Burma” 
Korea, North” 
Syria 
Burundi 
Kuwait” 
Tanzania” 
Cameroon” 
Libya” 
Tonga” 
Canada 
Macao” 
Trinidad & 
Cape Verde” 
Maldives 
Tobago” 
Chile 
Mali 
Tunisia 
China 
Martinique 
Tuvalu 
Colombia” 
Mauritius 
Uruguay 
Comoros” 
Mexico 
USSR 
Corsica 
Mongolia” 
Vanuatu” 
Costa Rica 
Montserrat” 
Vatican City 
Cuba 
Mozambique” 
Venezuela 
Djibouti” 
Nepal” 
Vietnam” 
East Timor” 
Netherlands 
Wallis & Futuna 
Ecuador 
Netherlands 
Islands” 
Egypt” 
Antilles 
Yemen 
El Salvador” 
New Caledonia” 
Yugoslavia” 
Fiji” 
Nigeria 
Zimbabwe” 
France 6 
Oman” 
French Guiana 
Papua New Guinea 
“Allows penshable biological substances but not infectious sub- 
stances. 
“France allows shipment of both infectious and noninfectious 
biological materials to only three addresses, all of the Pasteur 
Institute, with prior approval. The addresses are as follows (all in 
France): (i) Pasteur Institute, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris 
Cedex 14; (ii) Pasteur Institute, 1 rue de Professeur Calmette, 
59019 Lille Cedex BB 245; (iii) Pasteur Institute. 77 rue Pasteur, 
69365 Lyon Cedex. 
ASM News 
Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 13 
[403] 
