Depending on the testing laboratory-specific requirements, some specimens may be sent at room temperature, refrigerated temperature, or frozen. For refrigerated specimens, ship at 2–8°C with ice packs. If the specimen needs to be frozen, store specimens at -70°C or below overnight and ship on dry ice; the primary receptacle and the secondary packaging included in the shipping container should maintain their integrity at the temperature of the refrigerant used as well as the temperatures and the pressures that could result if refrigeration were lost.
Common laboratory temperature ranges for shipping purposes:
Room temperature/ambient (15–30°C or 59–86°F)
- Usually between (20–25°C or 68–77°F)
Refrigerated (2–8°C or 35–46°F)
- Average usually 5°C or 40°F
Frozen (≤0°C or ≤32°F)
- Usually between -58° to 5°F (or -50° to -15°C)
If lab specimens need to be frozen, they require ultra-low freezers capable of reaching ≤-70°C or ≤-94°F and will require dry ice for shipping.
Store collected specimens at the same temperature they will need to be at for shipping/transport to the testing lab.
Packages containing dry ice must have the Class 9, Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods hazard label, the required UN1845 label, and the quantity of dry ice included listed. They should also be designed and constructed to prevent the buildup of pressure and allow the release of gas that could rupture the packaging.
