Packaging and Shipping Hazardous Materials

The manual Procedures for the Domestic Handling and Transport of Diagnostic Specimens and Etiologic Agents, published by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (Volmne 5, Number 1, 17 July 

Most research laboratories will not have occasion to ship significant quantities of these materials they are usually recipients of shipments of these substances. However, should the need arise to ship hazardous chemicals, knowledge of the provisions of 49 CFR Parts 172-173 will be helpful. The shipper s agent should also be contacted and may be able to provide the required labels. 

Shipping of radioactive materials requires more than a knowledge of the proper packaging methods and labels U.S. federal law and the laws of other countries require that the shipper ascertain that the recipient is licensed to receive the material. Most institutions therefore require that all radioactive shipments be processed by the institution s radiation safety officer to ensure that proper procedures are followed. The shipping rules are covered in 49 CFR Parts 172-173 and 10 CFR Part 71 (which is substantially similar to the 49 CFR requirements). 

Postal Service has many restrictions on the shipment of radioactive materials by mail for example, no package may contain more than 0.1 millicuries of the most common tracer radionuclides (Transport Groups III and IV, see Table App. 3.2), and the exposure rate at the surface of the package must be less than 0.5 milliroentgens per hour. The package must also have no significant surface contamination (defined as less than 220 dpm per 

---