¿Qué es el hielo seco?
Dry ice continues to be a vital cooling agent for healthcare applications, ensuring the preservation of medical samples and supplies during transport and storage.
Se descubrió hace más de 180 años y tiene la propiedad especial de la sublimación, lo que significa que pasa directamente de sólido a gas.
El hielo seco, o dióxido de carbono sólido, puede ser peligroso si no se manipula correctamente. The extreme cold can burn skin, while the gas vapor can cause explosions if not allowed to properly vent. However, used correctly and in the right circumstances, dry ice is a highly effective coolant for your shipment.
Cuándo utilizar hielo seco
Since dry ice has an exceptionally cold temperature of minus 109.3 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 78.5 degrees Celsius), it's best reserved for products that absolutely need to be kept very cold and tolerate such temperatures, such as frozen foods, sensitive medical supplies and some biologics.
Even then, it could be overkill for certain products that don't need to stay deeply frozen. Ensure dry ice does not adversely affect the quality of the shipped product.
Ester Van den Bossche, UPS Healthcare® Cold Chain Packaging in Europe, recommends understanding your options. Ciertos productos sanitarios muestran una sensibilidad particular a temperaturas frías profundas, explica, en cuyo caso el envío con hielo seco puede no ser la mejor opción.
"It really depends on the product, but UPS can help you determine if dry ice is the right choice for your shipment by discussing these issues with you," Ester says.
Once you've decided your product is fit to be shipped on dry ice, it's important to understand the precautions and regulations around it.
Obtener hielo seco
You can obtain dry ice from local dry ice suppliers. Viene en diferentes formas y tamaños, desde bolitas y bloques grandes hasta cortes y pequeñas piezas, según su necesidad.
The price of dry ice has been fluctuating since COVID-19 but remains a low-cost refrigeration material. The larger the quantity you buy, the lower the price per pound or kilogram.
Manejo del hielo seco
Debe tener mucho cuidado al manipular hielo seco, ya que su temperatura extremadamente fría puede causar daños físicos. Handlers be IATA trained and follow precautions to wear goggles to protect eyes, special gloves to safeguard hands and bibs to ensure dry ice does not spill under clothes.
Cualquier persona de la cadena de suministro que pueda entrar en contacto con hielo seco debe recibir el nivel adecuado de capacitación.
Almacenamiento del hielo seco
Deben utilizarse contenedores especiales al almacenar hielo seco. No se deben utilizar recipientes herméticos, ya que el proceso de sublimación puede crear fuerte presión interna y provocar que el contenedor se rompa o explote. Tampoco pueden usarse contenedores de vidrio, ya que el vidrio puede romperse.
Calculating How Much Dry Ice to Use
Como regla general, de cinco a diez libras de hielo seco subliman cada 24 horas. Sin embargo, la tasa exacta de sublimación dependerá de la densidad del recipiente de espuma aislante de poliestireno expandido (expanded polystyrene, EPS) que utilice. Cuanto menor sea la densidad, más rápida será la sublimación. Tenga esto en cuenta cuando realiza el cálculo para el envío.
Meanwhile, other greener packaging types are available, removing the need of typically used polystyrene packaging. However, keep in mind that sublimation rates will continue to vary on the density of the packaging insulating material. The packaging team proposes 100% recyclable options.
If you use UPS Healthcare® Cold Chain Packaging, you will get optimized options aligned with your product, temperature and duration needs which come from preferred and qualified Healthcare packaging suppliers, who corroborate the performance level with temperature validation studies.
"We can help shippers choose the right solution and calculate the amount of dry ice needed based on the packaging and the time in transit," explains Ester. "We also advise to add enough dry ice for an additional 24 hours of time to cover any delays, or you may choose to add UPS® Premier services for dry ice topping when parcel might be in distress or recovery options."
Embalaje con hielo seco
Make sure your contents are at the optimal temperature when you are ready to pack them. Use an EPS foam container or eco-friendly dry ice packaging for its insulating properties, and place it inside a sturdy, corrugated cardboard box.
Try to keep your contents separate from the dry ice, for example in an inner box to be inserted into the dry ice.
The only purpose for the dry ice is to keep your shipment cold. You don't want anything touching the dry ice; just let it do its job, which is to keep the packaging system cold.
As with storage containers, don't seal your dry ice box airtight—the vapor gas needs to be able to escape or your package could explode when airtight. Go light with that packing tape.
Etiquetado para hielo seco
Para envíos aéreos de hielo seco en los Estados Unidos, ya sea para fines de diagnóstico/tratamiento médico o no médicos, no peligrosos, consulte Enfriadores y refrigerantes | UPS - Estados Unidos con requisitos de marcado y etiquetado. You will need to comply with the regulations found at 49 CFR 173.217.
If you are shipping dry ice internationally, IATA regulations apply. You will need to have a signed International Special Commodities (ISC) contract with UPS and comply with Packing Instructions 954 of the IATA regulations and UPS's carrier requirements.
Ayuda con el envío con hielo seco
El envío con hielo seco puede parecer complejo, pero UPS está aquí para ayudarle con la información que necesita, además de brindarle soluciones personalizadas para el envío con hielo seco en toda la cadena de suministro. For example, there are various UPS Healthcare™ Cold Chain Packaging options for healthcare shippers who need cold chain solutions. Los clientes pueden comprar embalajes especializados, así como recibir asesoramiento sobre qué soluciones funcionarán mejor para su producto, modo de envío y tiempo de tránsito.
It is crucial to arrive at the right shipping method and duration for dry ice shipping.
"For risk mitigation, the Cold Chain Packaging team will always factor in extra time for transit, especially if we are shipping healthcare products internationally, since the shipment could have a customs hold," says Ester.
Detailed preparation minimizes the need for someone to open the box and add dry ice, aiming to keep it closed until final arrival.
However, UPS® Premier service can assist if there is a case when a shipment requires dry ice replenishment while in transit.
Dry ice remains a safe and effective way of shipping goods that need to stay frozen, if used properly and compliantly. Whatever your dry ice shipping need, UPS Healthcare can help.
Realice su envío hoy mismo. Ask an Expert.
Si necesita información adicional sobre el envío con hielo seco, llame al Centro de Ayuda de Materiales Peligrosos de UPS al 1-800-554-9964.
