Download Shipping Biologicals with UPS Important Telephone Numbers: John

Shipping Biologicals with UPS
Important Telephone Numbers:
John Belk, UPS Account Executive
1-800-884-7052
UPS Hazardous Materials Help Desk
1-800-554-9964
Derek Williams, UPS Marketing Analyst
1- 919-790-7248
Department of Transportation Help Desk
1-800-467-4922
A) Domestic Air Transportation:
- UPS uses the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 49 as our guide (Federal
Express uses the International Air Transport Association - IATA)
UPS Will Accept:
1) Dry Ice
- No Class 9 Diamond Label Required by DOT
- DOT does not require hazardous shipping papers if the package has a statement that the shipment is for "medical purposes"
(treatment, diagnosis, investigational, etc.)
- DOT requires that you indicate the weight of the dry ice or indicate that the weight is less than 5.07 lbs.
- A statement near the shipping label to the tune of "Shipment on Dry Ice for Medical Purposes ___ lbs." is sufficient. UPS
must know the weight of the dry ice for operational purposes. If the weight of a dry ice shipment exceeds 441 lbs. please
contact your UPS representative to make arrangements.
2) Diagnostic Specimens
- Defined as any human or animal material, including excreta, secreta, blood and its components, tissue, and tissue fluids
being transported for diagnostic or investigational purposes, but excluding live infected humans or animals
- Specimens known or thought to contain pathogens classified in Risk Group 2 or 3 can be shipped as a diagnostic
specimen (DOT rule that differs from IATA rule)
- Specimen containing a Risk Group 4 pathogen must be shipped as an Infectious Substance
- Diagnostic Specimens must be triple packaged and marked "Diagnostic Specimen".
3) Biological Products Not Considered Infectious
- Defined as a virus, therapeutic serum, toxin, antitoxin, vaccine, blood component or derivative, allergenic product, or
analogous product used in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or cure of diseases in humans or animals
4) "Other" Biologicals Not Considered Infectious
- Many things sent to and from research facilities are not regulated by DOT and require no special labeling or packaging.
Examples include cells, reagents, enzymes, DNA, RNA, proteins, and antibodies that are not designated as being infectious
- Can also include pathogens in Risk Group 1 and viruses that have been disabled and are unable to infect
- Triple packaging of non-regulated materials is still highly recommended to limit damage to your specimens
UPS Does NOT Accept:
1) Infectious Substances
- Defined as a material known to contain or suspected of containing a pathogen. A pathogen is a virus or micro-organism
(including its viruses, plasmids, or other genetic elements, if any) or a proteinaceous infectious particle (prion) that has the
potential to cause disease in humans or animals.
- UPS does not accept any package with a Division 6.2 Infectious Substance label
- Biological products known to contain or suspected of containing a pathogen in Risk Group 2, 3, or 4 must be classed as
Division 6.2 and described as an infectious substance
2) Transplant and transfusion quantities of organs and blood
B) International Air Transportation:
- UPS follows IATA regulations for international transport
UPS accepts the items listed below to Canada, major European and Asian countries through an International Dangerous
Goods Program (IDG). Throughout 2004 and 2005 UPS is likely to add many more European, Asian and Latin American
countries to this program:
1) Non-infectious Diagnostic specimens and biological products that do not contain infectious substances
2) Other Non-blood based and non-infectious biological materials
3) Dry Ice
UPS Does NOT Accept 1) Infectious Substances 2) Diagnostic Specimens containing infectious substances 3) Biological
Products containing infectious substances