Examples of Hazardous Materials
Certain materials may require special packaging, permits, labeling, documentation, or training before shipment. Review the categories below to determine whether your shipment is regulated.
Hazardous Materials
Definition: Hazardous materials are substances capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment during transportation.
Common Examples:
- Battery-powered equipment
- Biological substances
- Corrosives
- Diagnostic specimens
- Dry ice
- Environmentally hazardous substances
- Explosives, gases, and flammable liquids
- Flammable solids
- Genetically modified organisms
- Infectious substances
- Magnetized materials
- Oxidizers and organic peroxides
- Toxic substances
Biological Substances (Category B – UN3373)
Definition: Biological substances include human or animal materials collected for diagnosis, research, or investigation.
Common Examples:
- Blood
- Tissue
- Tissue fluids
- Excreta
- Secreta
Important Naming Requirement
The shipping description “Diagnostic Specimens” is no longer accepted by USDOT and IATA. Use: Biological Substance, Category B (UN3373), instead.Infectious Substances
Definition: Infectious substances are materials known or reasonably expected to contain pathogens that can cause disease in humans or animals.
Common Examples:
- Cultures containing infectious agents
- Samples from patients with serious diseases of unknown origin
- Human or animal samples capable of causing infection
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
The Outbound Shipping team may request a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to identify:
- Hazard classification
- Handling requirements
- Transportation requirements
If an SDS is unavailable, additional shipment details may still be required.
Related Regulations and Resources
- IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations
- USDOT Hazardous Materials Table
- USDOT Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, 49 CFR Regulations 172.704 and 173.134