Infectious Samples

In accordance with Government of Canada regulations, including the Human Pathogens Toxins Act (HPTA), samples of an infectious nature that are not from naturally infected animals must be inactivated before they are shipped to us. This is based on the assumption that the pathogen may have been potentially propagated.

Primary patient samples may require inactivation before shipping to us, depending on the biosafety level and/or any requirements outlined in the HPTA. Primary patient samples are not assumed to be pathogenic unless there is a specific reason to believe they may be, such as medical history, symptoms, or other relevant information.

• When you place an order with us, you will be asked whether your samples are of an infectious nature. We will contact you directly to advise you of any inactivation and shipping requirements and to help ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

Classification of Biological/Hazardous Materials

The classification of biological and hazardous materials is detailed in the UN Dangerous Goods to help ensure that that protection regulations are internationally consistent.

• UN numbers are assigned by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods to identify hazardous substances in international travel. The UN numbers are given in brackets adjacent to the corresponding hazard.

Category A Infectious Substances (Hazard Class 6.2)

Category A infectious substances are substances that can cause permanent disability, life-threatening disease, or fatal disease in humans or animals.

These substances are classified as:

• UN2814 — Infectious substances affecting humans
• UN2900 — Infectious substances affecting animals

Examples of these substances are listed in the UMC Shipment of Biological Materials Manual.

Eve Technologies does not perform services on Category A infectious substances.

Category B Infectious Substances (Hazard Class 6.2)

Category B infectious substances are infectious substances that do not meet the criteria for inclusion in Category A. In other words, the substance is not capable of causing permanent disability, life threatening or fatal disease. 

These substances are classified as:

• UN3373 — Biological substance, Category B

Eve Technologies may conduct services on category B infectious substances. Each service proposal is evaluated for safety, and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Non-Infectious Substances

Non-infectious substances include inactivated samples and substances that do not contain pathogens or infectious agents that could cause disease in humans or animals.

Substances classified as non-infectious may include blood-based samples, tissue cultures, and other biological samples.