Features 
tic transport, but finding such carriers for interna- 
tional transport is not so easy. 
Shipments with Dry Ice 
Refrigerated shipments using dry ice in the United 
States seldom present problems because there are 
many carriers offering overnight delivery. Many will 
accept both infectious and noninfectious materials for 
shipment. However, international shipments are diffi- 
cult to arrange. 
It is extremely important that packages be properly 
routed, contain the correct amount of dry ice, and have 
the proper markings, including the UN 1845 designa- 
tion on the package. The correct amount of dry ice is 
important so that aircraft stay within their weight 
limits. A single package may not seem significant, but 
large numbers of packages containing dry ice could 
cause problems. 
The familiar term "dry ice” should be used on the 
exterior of the package to help persons handling it. 
The label should caution handlers not to put the 
package in a refrigerator where it might lower the 
oxygen content or change the pH of other products 
stored there. 
Use of the International Postal Union for ship- 
ments of infectious and noninfectious biological sub- 
stances is restricted. Many countries will not accept 
either type of specimen shipped in their postal service 
(see table). Shipments to such countries can cost 10 
times more than elsewhere because of airline sur- 
charges and higher rates charged by nonpostal freight 
forwarders. Prior notification from the receiving insti- 
tute that a particular importation is proper is essential 
for all international shipments. The names and tele- 
phone numbers of persons to contact from both the 
shipping and receiving institutions should be included 
on package labels. 
On occasion, problems will arise with a shipment 
no matter how well regulations and good practices are 
followed. There may be no apparent reason for a 
returned shipment. Sometimes simply repackaging 
and reshipping will solve the problem. In other cases 
there are either new regulations or someone needs to 
be educated as to the required procedures. 
As a service, the American Type Culture Collection 
(ATCC) has prepared a reference manual, "Packaging 
& Shipping of Biological Materials at ATCC.” The list 
of pathogens in the ATCC manual is more inclusive 
than that in 42 CFR 72 and never less restrictive than 
that of the PHS. The ATCC list refers to anticipated 
hazard alone and does not distinguish between trans- 
porting specimens and their safe handling in the 
laboratory. 
Careful adherence to standard procedures, even 
though occasionally frustrating, is best for all in- 
volved. Currently, in the United States various alter- 
native, often less expensive, methods for shipping 
biological materials are available. If serious incidents 
occur because regulations and good practices are not 
followed, however, restrictive and expensive methods 
may be imposed — as has already occurred in many 
other countries (see table). □ 
Currently,^ the 'interstate' ship- £ misinformation” about how-to pr^^qpiired _immun<^efidei^ 
jhent ofbiological specimens is caus- pare and label biological specimens (AIDS) and genetic engineering, en-Jr. 
ing very ftw' problems'jcompared properly. He receives an average of ^_couraged by be^dering and often^ 
: with problems during, the mid-1970s 20 inquiries each week aboiithiolog- ^.confradictory ^nesmj^new«me^.^- 
’b^ore^i^orin^nx^\i^^ere' , es^ ical shipment problems, “often from '^C^iindo^te^y ^lay paH in' 
i tablished, says John Jugesfcatter, the people who lire "haying diffi<^ty~'iin-^ prompting such 'episodes^ 
biosafety official at the Centers for derstahding procedures. Seemingly damaged packages— even'"" 
i Disease Control (CDC) in' Atlanta, Periodically, trouble spots “seem if they actually are intact— are more 
to develop idiosyncratically,' Most apt to be noticed nowadays, so CDC 
problems arise not from genuine haz- ?- tends to receive a greater volume of 
ards. Instead, from the biologist’s calls focusing oh such worries, v.' : 
Ga., who keeps track of biological 
shipping’ and compliance perform- 
ance throughout the United States. 
If shippers and handlers follow the 
agreed-upon procedures, even poten- 
tially serious accidents can be dealt 
. with safely and effectively. Indeed," 
he notes that it has "never been re- 
ported” that a damaged package re- 
sulted in an infection. In large part, 
this is because packaging has been 
designed to contain leaks. : 
Instead of disasters, most tales of 
woe from biologists are accounts of 
aggravation because of delays, occa- 
sional lost items, and confusion, ac- 
cording to Jugestatter. The biggest 
problem, he says, is the "wealth of 
standpoint, they are annoyances 
with which individuals must deaL 
Thus, for example, properly labeled 
' and packaged materials may "go into 
limbo for months.” This can occur 
when baggage handlers at a particu- 
lar airport suddenly balk at dealing 
with perfectly ordinary biological 
specimens, a particular airline arbi- 
trarily stops accepting medical spec- 
imens for shipment, or customs offi- 
cials in a particular country ignore 
accepted international practices and 
refuse to import packages. 
Fear and confusion about ac- 
- >2 The Public Health Service regu- 
lations are due for revisions, which 
will be published in the Federal Reg- 
ister. Although no major changes are 
being contemplated, the current reg- 
' ulations do need updating. For in- 
stance, they predate AIDS, and thus 
human immun odeficiency virus is 
conspicuously absent from the list of 
etiologic agents. Because of such 
anomalies, some officials would 
rather that the regulations very pre- 
cisely define key terms, such as etio- 
logic agents, and omit lists of species. 
Jeffrey L. Fox 
VOL. 54. NO. 5. 1988 
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Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 13 
