Sample Packaging and Shipment

After the samples have been collected, the sampling team should ship them to the laboratory in the most expedient manner. If samples cannot be shipped on the day of collection, they should be kept on ice or under refrigeration overnight. 

Concerns for the VOC loss from water samples during transportation by air have been raised on occasion. Laboratory studies, however, have demonstrated that there is no discernable difference between VOC data obtained from analysis of water samples shipped by land and by air (Craven, 1998). The notion of unsuitability of air transportation for air samples collected in Tedlar bags is also common. However, if Tedlar bags are filled to 2/3 of their capacity, they survive air travel without leaking or bursting. 

A temperature blank placed with the samples inside the cooler is the best tool for determining the true temperature of the samples upon arrival to the laboratory. For samples that do not require refrigeration (Tedlar bags with air, water samples for metal analysis), coolers are still the best shipping containers because they are light and durable. 

To package samples for shipping, we will need the following supplies  

To pack a cooler with samples, we follow these steps  

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B3 Sample handling and custody 3.2 Sample custody and tracking 3.3 Sample preservation techniques 3.4 Sample packaging and shipment 3.8 Equipment decontamination... 

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