Dry Ice packages by air transport
Packing instruction 954 (formerly 904)

Any clinical or diagnostic sample must be packaged correctly and conform to the appropriate packing instruction, usually diagnostic material PI650, PI620 Infectious Substances or PI 959 for Genetic material conforming to UN3245.

Dry Ice packaging.

This can consist of polystyrene or other thermal material. The wall thickness must be sufficient able to hold the temperature by preventing heat driving up the internal temperature and to hold the cold temperature. The density of the polystyrene used is very important and should be a heavy duty type, you shouldn’t be able to see light through the sides and for transport in Europe one should consider a box of at least 50mm wall thickness.

Volume and type of dry ice.

Dry Ice comes in two configurations blocks and pellets. The greater the surface area the greater the rate of loss of the dry ice. Whilst blocks or slices of dry ice are better thermally large chunks of ice are difficult to pack so pellets tend to be used. However what is very important is to pre-cool the shipper by placing a quantity of dry ice in the box and after replacing the lid leave the box for an hour or so to cool the box before packing the specimens. Whilst 3Kg would be sufficient for the transport of samples to main cities in Europe it doesn’t all ways allow for the out city destinations, any delays in transit or for customs delays (non-EU Europe) so 5Kg of dry ice should be considered.

Shipment days

always ship dry ice early in the week this allows for delays to be rectified. If you ship too late in the week the weekend becomes a problem when the courier networks slow down and people aren’t available to contact to rectify problems. Outside of Europe particularly going east, a Friday dispatch should be considered as the package will travel over the weekend and be delivered early the following week when people are available to help with customs clearance.

Compliance with other packing instructions.

UN3373 Diagnostic specimens:

The polystyrene box is just one layer of a three layer system of protection. The three layers consist of the primary (specimen container) secondary and outer (see appendix).

The primary specimen container must be sealed and wrapped to stop the specimens banging against each other during transit.

The secondary packaging. This can either consist of one of the solid plastic jars, a 95kPa bag or a sealed plastic bag of the specimens containers are 95kPa compliant.

The outer layer can consist of a cardboard box placed inside the polystyrene box or the use the polystyrene box as the outer.

DO NOT put dry ice into the secondary container particularly the solid type as these can become very dangerous when the packaging warms up.

Should the polystyrene box have a cardboard outer or not. The cardboard adds an interesting outer layer that aids the thermal properties of the box, It also is able to better hold the transport labels. One problem with dry ice polystyrene shippers is during humid weather the box becomes hygroscopic and labels start to peel off. Good clean cardboard boxes tend to go through the courier network faster than dirty boxes with bad labels.

Labels

There are three types of labels.

1 Address labels

Full addresses for both the consignee and the shipper are required. It is also important to have contact names and telephone numbers. Access to these contacts is usually during the normal working day; telephone numbers need to include country codes and area code i.e +44 (0)20 8123 4567

2. Specimen labels

The UN3373 diamond is very well specified in the regulations. The lines forming the diamond must be at least 50mm along each line and at least 2mm thick. The UN3373 in the center of the diamond must be at least 6mm in height. The proper shipping name ‘Biological Substance, Category B’ must be place alongside the UN3373 diamond

3. Dry Ice.

The miscellaneous diamond for Class 9 dangerous goods must be placed on the box, preferably on the same face as the UN3373 diamond. The proper shipping name for the dry ice must be placed alongside the Class 9 diamond, ‘UN1845 Dry Ice xx Kg Net Weight’; the XX needs to be replaced with the weight of the dry ice used.

The packaging must be of good quality, strong enough to withstand the shocks and loadings normally
encountered during transport, including trans-shipment between transport units and between transport
units and warehouses as well as any removal from a pallet or overpack for subsequent manual or
mechanical handling. Packagings must be constructed and closed to prevent any loss of contents that
might be caused under normal conditions of transport, by vibration, or by changes in temperature,
humidity or pressure.

Packagings must meet the provisions of IATA DGR 5.0.2.4.1, 5.0.2.6.1, 5.0.2.8 and 5.0.6 and be so
designed that they meet the construction requirements of IATA DGR 6.1 and 6.2. Outer packagings
constructed of suitable material of adequate strength and designed in relation to the packaging capacity
and its intended use must be used. Where this packing instruction is used for the transport of inner
packagings of combination packagings, the packaging must be designed and constructed to prevent
inadvertent discharge during normal conditions of transport.

Packagings which need not conform to the packaging test requirements of IATA DGR Chapter 6, but
conforming to the following:

(a) an inner packaging compromising:

1. primary receptacle(s) and a secondary packaging, the primary receptacle(s) must be leakproof or liquids or siftproof for solids;

2. for liquids, absorbent material placed between the primary receptacle(s) and the secondary packaging. The absorbent material, must be in quantity sufficient to absorb the entire content of the primary receptacle(s) so that any release of the liquid substance will not compromise the integrity of the cushioning material or of the outer packaging;

3. if multiple fragile primary receptacles are placed in a single secondary packaging they must be individually wrapped or separated to prevent contact between them.

(b) a rigid outer packaging which must be strong enough for its capacity, weight and intended use, and with a smallest external dimension of at least 100mm (4 inches)

For transport the mark illustrated below must be displayed on the external surface of the outer packaging on a background of a contrasting color and must be clearly visible and legible. The mark must be in the form of a square set at an angle of 45° (diamond-shaped) with each side having a length of at least 50 mm (2 inches); the width of the line shall be at least 2 mm and the letters and numbers shall be at least 6 mm high.

When packages are placed in an overpack the package markings required by the Packing Instruction must either be clearly visible or the marking must be reproduced on the outside of the overpack and the overpack must be marked with the word “Overpack”

GMOs (or GMMOs) assigned to UN 3245 which are packed and marked in accordance with this packing instruction are not subject to any other requirement in these Regulations except for the following:

a) the name and the address of the shipper and the consignee must be provided on each package;

b) the classification must be in accordance with all applicable regulations

c) the inspection for damage or leakage must be conducted to meet IATA DGR requirements 9.4.1 ad 9.4.2;

d) the incident reporting requirements of IATA DGR 9.6 must be met; and

e) passengers and crew members are prohibited from transporting UN 3245 either as or in carry-on baggage or checked baggage or on their person

Additional Packing Requirements:

Refrigerated or frozen specimens: ice, dry ice and liquid nitrogen
When dry ice or liquid nitrogen is used to keep specimens cold, all applicable requirements of these Regulations must be met. When used, ice or dry ice must be placed outside the secondary packagings or in the outer packaging or an overpack. Interior supports must be provided to secure the secondary packagings in the original position after the ice or dry ice has dissipated.
If ice is used, the outside packaging or overpack must be leakproof.

If carbon dioxide, solid (dry ice) is used, the requirements in Packing Instruction 954 must be met.

The primary receptacle and the secondary packaging must maintain their integrity at the temperature of the refrigerant used as well as the temperatures and the pressures which could result if refrigeration were lost.