DO NOT SHIP BIOLOGICALS, CHEMICALS OR RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS WITHOUT READING THIS PAGE FIRST!
You should be aware that shipping research materials within the United States and Internationally has become a highly regulated process.
The shipping of hazardous materials can pose a serious danger to human health, property and the environment if the materials are improperly packaged and labeled and release their contents during transportation. For example, an incorrect package can be easily crushed and the containers broken resulting in liquid or solids leaking from the package contaminating handlers and anything in the area. The legal, regulatory and clean up costs can be in tens of thousands of $$. The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration can and has imposed large fines ($$$$) and possible jail time for persons who knowingly or unknowingly violate these regulations.
Bottom line: Contact Tufts Environmental Health and Safety and ask for advice on shipping chemicals and biologicals.
Tufts University does not operate a centralized shipping service on any of its campuses. Hence, each employee is responsible for packaging, shipping and documenting hazardous materials shipments.
Biologicals
The rules for shipping biologicals are complex however the Biosafety Program at Tufts offers a training program on a scheduled basis for persons who need to ship biological materials: human blood, human or primate cell lines, preserved biologicals, microbial agents. In addition, these shipments may involve ethanol, formaldehyde, dry ice or liquid nitrogen which are all hazardous chemicals and have to be shipped as hazardous chemicals.
Chemicals
The rules for shipping chemicals are complex however the Chemical Safety Program offers a training program for individuals who need to ship chemicals routinely as part of the their job.
________________________________________________________
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations are updated annually. Please see the link below for a summary of changes to this year’s regulations.
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dangerous_goods/Documents/DGR53_SignificantChanges.pdf
Tufts EHS purchases these regulations annually. Please contact us if you need assistance with your shipment.
