Search

Shipping Dry Ice: What You Should Know

Posted on 4/2/2018 by Roger Marks

Besides being fun to play with in high school chemistry class, dry ice often serves a more practical function: keeping products cool during transportation.
 
Whether its food, biological specimens, or other medical samples, dry ice plays a key role in temperature regulation. It’s important to realize, though, that dry ice is also a dangerous good when shipped by air.
 
Do you ship products in dry ice? The Shipping Dry Ice Online Course or the Shipping Infectious Substances (w/ Dry Ice) Online Course will guide you through what you must know to ship dry ice safely and in compliance. Be confident your shipments will be accepted and avoid rejection, lost product, and costly fines.
 
According to the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), dry ice is a Class 9 “miscellaneous” hazardous material/dangerous good, because it doesn’t meet any of the traditional Hazard Class 1 - 8 definitions. Instead, it is regulated because it sublimates, meaning it turns directly from solid to gas.
 

Venting Packages to Avoid Pressure Buildup 

 
Why is this important? First, sublimation can lead to dangerous pressure buildup within a package, causing a package to explode—a serious problem on an aircraft, since passengers and crew may be injured and the aircraft itself could become damaged.
 
To mitigate this transport risk, packages containing dry ice must be designed to allow proper venting to avoid pressure buildup.
 

Dry Ice and Oxygen Displacement

 
Another reason dry ice is regulated as hazmat by air is that gaseous carbon dioxide (the result of the sublimation process) displaces oxygen. This means that if carbon dioxide and oxygen are fighting for the same space, carbon dioxide will win.
 
Oxygen displacement is especially relevant in the cabin of an aircraft—a self-contained environment equipped with a limited oxygen supply. If dry ice isn’t packaged properly, or in quantities that are too large, the carbon dioxide gas it produces could asphyxiate the passengers and crew.
 

Appropriate Hazmat Training Can Save Lives

 
For these reasons, shippers who offer packages containing dry ice, especially for air transport, must have appropriate training to ensure all safety concerns have been met and that the proper packing instructions are followed.
 
Hazmat training for dry ice shippers is required whether or not your packages contain other regulated materials, such as Division 6.2 infectious substances.
 
Even if you ship a cooler of barbecue cuts, frozen treats, or other foodstuffs or non-hazardous products packed in dry ice, you still need appropriate hazmat training.
 
By training employees to properly package, mark, and label shipments containing dry ice, shippers protect supply-chain personnel, airline passengers and crew, and the public from the unique risks this very cool—but very dangerous—substance poses.
 

Complete Dangerous Goods Shipper Training
(49 CFR, IATA DGR, and IMDG Code)

Meet DOT and IATA training mandates in cities nationwide in 2018. Be confident your shipments are in full compliance with the latest 49 CFR and DGR requirements for ground or air transport, earn CM Points and CEUs, and leave with trusted resources to simplify compliance and support your decisions.

Need DOT (49 CFR) hazmat training for highway shipments? Check out the Hazmat Ground Shipper workshop or online course here. 
 
Renew your DOT hazmat training here with the recurrent online course or live, one-day refresher webinar on May 3.
 

Tags: dry, hazmat shipping, IATA DGR, ice, infectious substances, shipping dry ice

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Having the tutorial buttons for additional information was extremely beneficial.

Sharon Ziemek

EHS Manager

No comparison. Lion has the best RCRA training ever!!

Matt Sabine

Environmental Specialist

The instructor was very very informative, helpful, understandable and pleasant. This course answered many questions I had, being new to this industry.

Frances Mona

Shipping Manager

I was recently offered an opportunity to take my training through another company, but I politely declined. I only attend Lion Technology workshops.

Stephanie Gilliam

Material Production/Logistics Manager

This is a very informative training compared to others. It covers everything I expect to learn and even a lot of new things.

Quatama Jackson

Waste Management Professional

The online course was well thought out and organized, with good interaction between the student and the course.

Larry Ybarra

Material Release Agent

The course is well thought out and organized in a way that leads to a clearer understanding of the total training.

David Baily

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion was very responsive to my initial questions and the website was user friendly.

Michael Britt

Supply Chain Director

The workshop covered a lot of information without being too overwhelming. Lion is much better, more comprehensive than other training providers.

George Alva

Manufacturing Manager

The instructor was great, explaining complex topics in terms that were easily understandable and answering questions clearly and thoroughly.

Brittany Holm

Lab Supervisor

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Just starting out with shipping lithium batteries? The four fundamental concepts in this guide are the place to start.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.