The world-wide regulations for the transport of biological substances which can contain pathogens have been developed to protect people as well as environment. Thanks to strict packaging requirements and risk communication we can obtain this protection.
Usually, the risk of infectious samples is minimized by participants themselves, but ADR lays down the responsibilities for participants. According to this, several national and international regulations do so:
Consignor or Packer must ascertain that the substances are rightly classified.
If the infectious substance is classified as category A (and assigned to UN 2814 -infectious substances which cause disease in humans or both in humans and animals- or UN 2900 - infectious substances which cause disease only in animals-), it must be packed according to P620 and its transportation must meet the ADR.
If the sample is classified as Category B, it can be transported as ordinary goods, when the packaging meets P650 ADR.
The package marks required by Packaging Instruction P650 shall be clearly visible on the outside of the pack during transportation.
Packagings manufacturer must ensure packaging instructions for use and a written test report are drawn up and available to the users of the packaging.
Any container should undergo and pass the following tests:
| TEST | CATEGORY A PACKAGING (6.3 ADR) |
CATEGORY B PACKAGING | EXEMPT SAMPLE PACKAGING |
| Drop Test | From a height of 9 m | From a height of 1,2 m | NO |
| Water Spray Test | For fibreboard outer packagings | For fibreboard outer packagings | NO |
| Stacking Test | YES | NO | NO |
| Puncture Test | YES | NO | NO |
| Internal pressure (primary receptacle or secondary packaging) |
Internal pressure of not less than 95 kPa and temperatures in the range -40º to +55ºC | Internal pressure of 95 kPa in room temperature | NO |