How to Ship Formalized Tissue

You can't just deposite a formalized tissue sample in a package delivery drop box.

Formalized tissue refers to biological material such as cells, tissue or organs that are preserved in varying concentrations of formaldehyde. It is both a potential biological hazard, chemical hazard and fire hazard. With all the potential dangers involved, shipping formalized biological material is a very regulated and specialized procedure. It requires education and certification of the shipper by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, prenotification of the carrier or a contracted relationship, special shipping containers and a specialized packing procedure.

Things You'll Need

• Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) training certification
• OEHS-approved shipping form
• Copy of relevant regulations
• Required inner packaging supplies and materials.
• Required secondary packaging supplies and materials
• Minimum 4-inch by 4-inch cardboard box plus packing materials
• Completed "Dangerous Goods in Excepted Quantities" label printed in color only
• Clear packaging tape

Instructions

1. Read a guide detailing the necessary preparation and packaging of formaldehyde. For example, use the University of New Hampshire's "Guidelines for Shipment of Formaldehyde Solutions by Air" or your facility's specific manual. Document the date, the material reviewed and the name and title of the person who completed the reading.

2. Complete the "Intent to Ship Excepted Quantities of Formaldehyde Solutions by Air" form" and review it. File this as proof of your training, which must be renewed every two years.

3. Review the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for formaldehyde before preparing any formalized tissue shipment.

4. Prepare the inner packaging such as the test tube, vial, or jar containing the formalized tissue. Leave 10 percent at the top for head-space for potential temperature-dependent liquid expansion. The primary package must be held closed with tape, wire, metal crimps or other similar means.

5. Prepare the secondary packaging material. The first package must be placed in a high quality zip-close bag with enough absorbent material to prevent leakage in case the primary package break. Seal with tape. Place the bag inside a second plastic page and seal the second bag securely.

6. Prepare the outer packaging material such as a cardboard box of minimum dimensions of 100 mm or approximately 4 inches square. Formalized tissue cannot be shipped in envelopes or other soft mailing material.

7. Prepare a dummy package using the same materials as the inner, secondary and outer packaging of your formalized tissue. This dummy package will be necessary for drop and compression tests to be conducted prior to shipping the package of formalized tissue.

8. Print a dangerous goods in excepted quantities label in color. Fill in the label blanks with the signature, title, name and address of the shipper and the date. The label must be securely glued or affixed to a vertical side of the outside container. For formalin solutions of less than 25 percent, mark an X on the box for Class 9 material and write "UN 3334" for the applicable UN number.

9. Place the name and address labels for the shipper and the recipient on the outer container securely. Cover with clear packing tape to ensure the printer ink will not run with liquid contact. If you are reusing a shipping container, completely cover or obliterate all previous labels or markings.

10. Perform a drop test on the dummy package prepared in the same manner as the formalized tissue package. The drop test consists of dropping the dummy box from a height of almost 6 feet on the top, bottom, short side, long side and a three-corner junction. Your tissue sample cannot be shipped if the dummy package does not pass the drop test. Keep a record of the test results.

11. Perform a compression test on the dummy package. The compression test consists of the application of a force to the top surface for 24 hours, or the equivalent to the total weight of identical packages if stacked to a height of 3 meters. The tissue sample cannot be shipped if the dummy package does not pass the compression test. Keep a record of the test results.

12. Contact a courier service such as DHL, Fed-Ex or UPS to arrange for your package pick-up.

Tips & Warnings

• Some carriers will not accept formalized tissue-type shipments without a pre-existing account.

• If you routinely ship formalized tissue in the same-sized containers - identically prepared - you can utilize the drop and compression tests on the dummy package as successfully recorded. However, if you change the size, amount, container, or any aspect of the packaging, you must conduct a new drop and compression test on the new packaging.

• Formaldehyde solutions are assigned to hazard class 9, packing group II. As such, each inner packaging may not contain more than 30 ml. Each outer package may not contain more than 500 ml.

• Double check all shipping procedures to ensure that breakage or leakage will not occur.

References

• Hi-Valley Chemical.com; Material Safety Data Sheet; Formalin, 10% Solution
• U.S. Army Public Health Command; Hazardous and Medical Waste; DOT Regulates 10 - 24.9% Formaldehyde Solutions
• "University of New Hampshire"; UNH Guidelines for Shipments of Formaldehyde by Air; Andy Glode; March 23, 2007
• Medical University of South Carolina; Shipping Issues Related to Biomedical Research Labs; Packaging Requirements
• United Parcel Service: UPS Guide for Shipping Ground and Air Hazardous Materials
• United States Postal Service; 601 Mailability; 10.0 Hazardous Materials

Resources

• Medical University of South Carolina: Vendors for Packaging to Ship Dry Ice or Infectious Agents
• United Parcel Service: UPS Guide for Shipping Ground and Air Hazardous Materials
• United Parcel Service: Open a UPS Shipping Account
• Hi-Valley Chemical.com; Material Safety Data Sheet; Formalin, 10% Solution