Luckau Protocols:ShipDryIce

Purpose
When shipping genomic DNA or PCR product, it is helpful (and possibly necessary) to keep the samples frozen. Dry ice (solid CO2) is the preferred cooling agent for mailing shipments.

Benefites of dry ice:
 * sublimation of solid CO2 means there's no messy liquid state, as with 'regular' ice
 * dry ice keeps your samples colder for longer (dry ice is -78°C) (household freezers are typically -20°C)

This protocol gives details for shipping samples out for fragment analysis (samples are light-sensitive PCR product).

Materials Needed

 * 1) From Department of Biology office (NLS 101)
 * 2) * US Domestic Airbill [[Image:Package_US_Airbill.jpg]]
 * 3) * Dry ice label (class 9, UN 1845) [[Image:class-9-dry-ice.jpg]]
 * 4) * resealable adhesive plastic pouch
 * 5) Shipping container
 * 6) * insulated container (styrofoam) with cardboard outer casing
 * 7) dry ice
 * 8) * available from common room 320 (dry ice is re-stocked each Tuesday and Friday)
 * 9) * remember to sign-out how much you're taking

Additional Resources

 * Amherst College Dry Ice Shipping
 * Continental Carbonic Dry Ice Shipping
 * Continental Carbonic Dry Ice Safety
 * Continental Carbonic Dry Ice Safety Brochure

Safety

 * Do NOT touch dry ice (at -78°C, it can 'burn' your skin)
 * DO handle dry ice using protective gloves


 * Do NOT place dry ice in any sealed container (gas is less dense than the solid, so sublimation causes the CO2 to expand)
 * DO use dry ice in a ventilated location, and store in an insulated container