Radboud University
Do you work at FNWI and need to ship hazardous materials? Shipping hazardous materials must be done according to legal regulations.
The shipment of infectious substances, genetically modified micro-organisms and diagnostic samples must be done according to the legal requirements contained in ADR, the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Goods by Road and IATA, air transport.
ADR/IATA has several risk classes, including the Class 6.2 infectious substances. Substances of this class are divided into several categories. Within these categories, the classes are subdivided with their corresponding UN code/number.
Blood and organs for transfusion or transplantation are not covered by ADR.
UN2900, infectious substances, dangerous only to animals.
A list of category A and B substances is attached at the bottom of this page.
If cultures are intended for diagnostic or clinical purposes, they may be classified as category B infectious substances. These are marked with an *. They are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella dysenteria type 1 and Escherichia coli verotoxigenic.
An infectious substance not covered by category A is classified as category B ‘.
Category A must be packed for transport in accordance with packing instruction P620. This states:
The outer packaging shall bear the danger label for Class 6.2. The applicable UN number shall also be indicated (UN 2814 or UN 2900). For liquids, the outer packaging must also bear the directional arrow label on two opposite sides in black or red. This is not required if the primary packaging is smaller than 50 ml.
Primary and secondary packaging must be able to withstand the low temperature and maintain their good condition at both the temperature of the refrigerant used and the temperatures and pressures that may result from the loss of refrigeration.
It is recommended that packaging, labelling and shipping of material with dry ice or liquid nitrogen be outsourced to a specialised company. See under ‘outsource packaging’. This is because there are different requirements for (additional) packaging materials, pressure build-up, labelling and transport conditions.
UN3549 must be packed according to packing instruction P622. Please contact the AMD for this.
An infectious substance not covered by category A is classified as category B ‘.
For air transport (IATA-DGR), the text ‘Biological Substance, Category B’ should be added to the hazard label.
There is an exception for cultures intended for the deliberate propagation of disease processors. These cultures/cultures are covered by UN number 2814 or 2900.
Category B should be packed for transport in accordance with packing instruction P650. This stipulates the following:
A UN 3373 label must be clearly legible on the outer packaging. The size of the label must be at least 5 x 5 cm. The letters and numbers must be at least 6 mm.
The correct transport name is: ‘Biological substance, Category B’. This text should be placed in the immediate vicinity of the label.
For liquids, the directional arrow label should also be placed on the outside on two opposite sides in black or red. This is not required if the primary container is smaller than 50 ml.
Primary and secondary packaging must be able to withstand the low temperature and maintain their good condition at both the temperature of the refrigerant used and the temperatures and pressures that may result from the loss of refrigeration.
It is recommended that packaging, labelling and shipping of material with dry ice or liquid nitrogen be outsourced to a specialised company. See under ‘outsource packaging’. This is because there are different requirements for (additional) packaging materials, pressure build-up, labelling and transport conditions.
You may only transport or offer dangerous goods for air transport if you hold an accreditation from the Ministry of Transport. This recognition is granted by the Inspectorate for the Environment and Transport (ILT) after training at an institution recognised by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. www.ilent.nl/onderwerpen/transport/gevaarlijke_stoffen/luchtvaart/erkenningen_gevaarlijke_stoffen/ . With an A-recognition, an institution can itself offer hazardous substances for air transport. If you do not hold an A-recognition, you can still send infectious substances by air by using a company with an E-recognition. Companies with E-approval can act in the place of a private individual, institution or legal entity as sender, taking over full public-law responsibilities. The E-recognition holder then takes care of packaging, labelling, and marking of the hazardous goods, documentation and shipping. In addition, E-recognition holders can provide detailed advice and information on all shipments they handle.
There are two exceptions: Category B biologicals (UN3373) and GMOs (UN3245) do not require an A or E approval, provided they are fully packaged in accordance with the corresponding packaging instructions (P/PI 650 and P904/PI 959).
Furthermore, diagnostic samples covered below may be sent internationally by post according to the postal company's instructions.
Medical or hospital waste is waste from the medical treatment of animals or humans or strains from biological research.
Hospital or medical waste, containing infectious category A or B substances, should be classified into UN2814, UN2900 of UN3549.
If the waste contains infectious substances of category B except cultures, it is to be classified as UN3291.
It was decided to dispose of all GMO waste as infectious UN3291.
The correct transport name is: "Hospital waste, unspecified N.E.C." or "(bio)medical waste N.E.C." or "regulated medical waste, N.E.C. ". (N.E.C. not mentioned)
Packaging and labelling is carried out in accordance with the 'waste regulation'.
To ensure that the said substances conform to both road and air transport guidelines, it is advised to outsource these activities to a specialised company such as BioLogistic, SGS, DHL, etc. They can assist departments in the logistical handling of national and international shipments and can take care of providing all necessary packaging materials for both diagnostic, infectious material and dry ice, written instructions, transport documentation and physical transport.
Additional customs formalities, such as applying for or taking care of import and/or export licences, are not included in the service.
Waste drums at FNWI are collected automatically. Please ensure that you seal the waste drums properly, label them with the correct label, hazard symbol and present them clean. Barrels under tension will not be taken away due to safety considerations.
Do you have any questions or would you like more information? Contact the Occupational Health and Safety Service (AMD).
The Logistics Centre (LC) provides distribution and logistics services for FNWI. The LC is located at Toernooiveld 8 between the HFML (magnet laboratory) and the Huygens building. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 08.00-16.30. Questions? Mail logistiekcentrum [at] science.ru.nl (logistiekcentrum[at]fnwi[dot]ru[dot]nl).