Biological Materials and Dry Ice Shipping

Biological substances (Category B)

You must follow UN3373 requirements to ship infectious substances that are not in a form generally capable of causing permanent, life-threatening, or fatal illness in otherwise healthy humans or animals.

To ship these materials:

1. Complete the training course Shipping Biological Materials and Dry Ice.

Infectious substances (Category A)

You must follow UN2814 and UN2900 requirements to ship infectious substances that could cause permanent, life-threatening, or fatal illness in humans or animals.

To ship these materials:

1. Review examples of Category A infectious substances.
2. For Category A materials classified as either UN2814 or UN2900, contact biosafety@harvard.edu to ship materials.

If you suspect that a material contains an infectious substance, you must classify the material in the same category as the suspected pathogens (including diagnostic specimens).

Follow these steps to ship non-infectious materials.

Exempt human and animal specimens

Exempt human and exempt animal specimen samples collected from humans or animals are unlikely to contain pathogens. Examples include blood, tissues, bodily fluids, and cells.

To ship these materials:

1. Complete the training course Shipping Biological Materials and Dry Ice.

Genetically modified organisms and microorganisms

You must follow UN3245 requirements to ship non-infectious organisms or microorganisms with intentionally altered genetic material.

To ship these materials:

1. Complete the training course Shipping Biological Materials and Dry Ice.
2. Follow DOT/IATA Packing Instruction 959 (available online or from EHS).

Preservatives include ethanol, formalin, and formaldehyde.

Biological materials shipped with preservatives might have additional packaging, marking, and labeling requirements. Quantities and concentrations are limited.

Contact EHS for all other chemical shipments.

To ship preservatives:

1. Complete the training course Shipping Excepted Quantities: Flammables, Corrosives, and Common Fixatives.
2. Follow any additional packaging, marking, and labeling requirements.

When considering if you should locally transport materials:

• Never hand-carry Category A materials off-campus or between campuses. Contact EHS for more information.
• Never put dry ice in a completely sealed container. It will over-pressurize and violently release and can cause serious injuries and property damage.
• If you transport materials by vehicle, ensure packaging and labeling meets DOT requirements.
• To use ground transportation for non-hazardous materials (like non-infectious nucleic acids or proteins) on wet ice, ice packs, or at ambient temperatures, triple pack the materials and label the package with to and from information.

If you are not a Harvard affiliate, follow your specific institutional policies for more detailed requirements.

Sending locally transported materials from Harvard

To follow DOT hazardous materials ground transportation requirements:

1. Confirm with the recipient that they received approval from their Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) to use the material. The Harvard IBC is the Committee on Microbiological Safety (COMS).

2. To package or transport materials by vehicle, you must have completed DOT/IATA training in the past two years.

   Otherwise, either a trained colleague must package and transport the material or you must contact ehs_researchtransport@harvard.edu to receive training.

3. Package and label the materials to meet DOT/IATA requirements.

   If you transport materials by vehicle, packaging and labeling must fully comply with DOT requirements. 

4. Exit the building with the package.

   Follow your institution’s transport policy for traveling inside the building and any specific travel route requirements, such as using service or freight elevators instead of passenger elevators.

5. Travel to your destination using an appropriate local transportation method.

6. If you are delivering materials to a place where you do not have access into the lab, arrange for the recipient to meet you in a public place like the building lobby or to escort you into their building.

   Do not leave the package unattended, with building security, or at reception. Do not enter a building using someone else’s ID card access. 

When choosing a local transportation method:

• Never use public transportation or rideshare services to transport these materials.
• Avoid transporting dry ice packages in poorly ventilated vehicles due to suffocation hazard.
• Only use a personal vehicle or bicycle if EHS grants specific approval. Transporting biological shipments may null and void your auto insurance in an accident.

• If you use a taxicab, you must ride with the package. Metro Cab of Boston transports properly packaged materials, but individual cab drivers can refuse to transport any package.

  Call ahead to ensure the company will accept biomedical packages or dry ice.

• Medical couriers like Deliv and Skycom can transport certain properly packaged materials. Your institution may already have an agreement with a courier service.

Local transportation methods

1. Arrange an appropriate time and place to receive the package from the transporter or sender.
2. Before you accept the package:
   • Check the outside of the box to confirm the material is properly packaged and labeled. For example, check for Class 9, dry ice, UN1845 and kg labels for dry ice.

   • Verify the outer packaging does not have any significant wet areas that could be from a leaking inner package.

     If the material is not properly packaged and labeled, refuse the package or move the package to the nearest lab.

3. Open all packages in a biological safety cabinet or fume hood while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE), including lab coat, gloves, and safety glasses.
4. If you find any issues, such as dry ice in a closed container, evacuate the lab and call your local EHS department.