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Category A infectious substances are pathogens that can cause permanent disability, life threatening illness or death when humans or animals are exposed to them. These materials include cultures of dangerous viruses and bacteria like Ebola, anthrax and rabies. Transporting them requires strict compliance with international regulations to protect everyone involved in the supply chain.
This article explains how to identify Category A infectious substances, when to assign UN2814 or UN2900, and what packaging standards you must follow. You’ll learn the classification criteria, see specific examples from official lists, and understand the triple packaging requirements that keep these materials secure during transport. We’ll also cover the training and documentation you need to ship these substances legally and safely.
Why Category A infectious substances matter
You face severe penalties if you mishandle category a infectious substances during transport. Regulators impose heavy fines, and your company risks losing its shipping licenses when you fail to classify or pack these materials correctly. One packaging failure can expose workers to deadly pathogens like Ebola or anthrax and trigger a public health emergency that affects entire communities. Aviation authorities and maritime regulators maintain strict enforcement regimes, conducting random inspections and audits of dangerous goods shipments.
Proper classification and packaging of Category A substances protects lives and prevents regulatory action that could shut down your operations.
The consequences of misclassification
Your business liability extends beyond immediate fines when you classify a Category A substance incorrectly. Criminal prosecution becomes possible in cases where negligence leads to exposure or contamination events. Insurance companies routinely refuse to cover incidents involving improperly classified dangerous goods, which means you absorb the full cost of any outbreak, cleanup, or legal action. Supply chain disruptions follow misclassification events, as authorities may quarantine your facilities and suspend all transport operations until comprehensive investigations conclude.
How to classify Category A infectious substances
You must evaluate whether a pathogen can cause permanent disability, life threatening illness or death in otherwise healthy humans or animals when you classify infectious substances. Category A status applies when exposure creates this level of danger, while less severe pathogens fall into Category B. The classification decision starts with reviewing official lists from ADR, IATA and WHO guidance documents that name specific organisms, but you also need to assess new or emerging pathogens that aren’t listed yet.
The primary classification test
Your classification process centres on three key criteria that determine Category A status. First, you assess whether the pathogen causes severe disease in healthy individuals, not just those with compromised immune systems. Second, you evaluate the form of the material being transported, since cultures of certain organisms always require Category A classification whilst patient specimens of the same organism might qualify as Category B. Third, you consider professional medical judgement about the specific circumstances, including the concentration of the pathogen and the source of the specimen.
Classification requires you to evaluate both the inherent danger of the pathogen and the specific form in which you’re transporting it.
When cultures require Category A classification
Cultures of pathogens demand stricter classification than diagnostic specimens because you’ve intentionally propagated these organisms to higher concentrations. Laboratory cultures of risk group 3 organisms listed in ADR regulations must travel as category a infectious substances under UN2814 or UN2900. Patient specimens containing the same pathogen might qualify for Category B treatment if they’re collected directly from humans or animals for diagnostic purposes. You cannot downgrade cultures to Category B simply because you intend to use them for diagnosis rather than research.
Classification becomes more complex when you handle waste materials from medical facilities or laboratories. Wastes containing Category A pathogens retain their Category A classification regardless of whether they originated from cultures or patient treatment. Your responsibility includes maintaining proper classification through the entire waste disposal chain.
UN numbers, examples and risk groups
Category A substances receive one of two UN numbers depending on whether they affect humans or animals. You assign UN2814 when the infectious substance poses a threat to human health, whilst UN2900 applies exclusively to pathogens that affect only animals. This distinction determines which proper shipping name you use and how you complete your dangerous goods transport documents. Risk group classifications from containment regulations align with these UN numbers, though you must remember that not all risk group 3 organisms automatically qualify as Category A.
UN2814: Substances affecting humans
UN2814 covers pathogens that cause severe human disease, and you must use the proper shipping name "Infectious substance, affecting humans" on all transport documentation. Cultures of Ebola virus, Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), rabies virus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis fall under this classification. You’ll also classify Marburg virus, Lassa fever virus and cultures of highly pathogenic avian influenza as UN2814 materials. The WHO maintains an indicative list of these substances, but you need to classify emerging pathogens based on their capability to cause fatal disease even when they don’t appear on published lists.
Your classification responsibility extends beyond listed pathogens to include any new infectious substance that meets the Category A criteria.
UN2900: Substances affecting animals only
You assign UN2900 to category a infectious substances that threaten animal health but not human health, using "Infectious substance, affecting animals only" as the proper shipping name. Cultures of African swine fever virus, foot and mouth disease virus and classical swine fever virus require this classification. Rinderpest virus, lumpy skin disease virus and avian paramyxovirus Type 1 also fall under UN2900. Your assignment decision depends on the known medical history of the source animal and endemic conditions in the region where specimens originated.
How to pack and ship Category A safely
You must use triple packaging that meets Packing Instruction P620 (ADR) or PI620 (IATA) when you ship category a infectious substances under UN2814 or UN2900. This packaging system combines three distinct layers: leak-proof primary receptacles that hold your samples, leak-proof secondary packaging that contains those receptacles, and rigid outer packaging with UN certification marks. Each layer serves a specific protective function, and you cannot skip or substitute any component without violating dangerous goods regulations.
The triple packaging system
Your primary receptacles hold the infectious material directly and must remain leak-proof even under pressure changes and temperature extremes between -40°C and +55°C. These receptacles typically consist of tubes, vials or small bottles that you seal securely. You then place primary receptacles inside secondary packaging that also meets leak-proof standards, and when you ship liquids, you must add absorbent material between these two layers that can absorb 100% of the liquid contents. Multiple fragile primary receptacles require individual wrapping or separation to prevent them breaking if they contact each other during transport.
Triple packaging protects everyone in the transport chain by creating multiple barriers between dangerous pathogens and potential exposure.
Your outer packaging must be rigid (drums, boxes or jerricans) with UN certification marks and a smallest dimension of at least 100 mm. Air transport limits you to 50 ml or 50 g net quantity per package when you ship without coolants.
Labelling and marking standards
You must display the UN number and proper shipping name prominently on outer packaging, along with the shipper’s and consignee’s full contact details including a responsible person’s telephone number. Class 6.2 hazard labels are mandatory, and you add orientation arrows when liquids exceed 50 ml volume. Air shipments require additional markings including net quantity statements, and when you use dry ice as a coolant, you must mark "Carbon dioxide, solid" with UN1845 and apply Class 9 labels alongside the infectious substance labels.
Required transport documentation
Your dangerous goods transport document must list the UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class 6.2, and total net quantity of infectious substances. You include the scientific name of the pathogen in brackets after the proper shipping name, and you provide an itemized list of contents placed between secondary and outer packaging. Air shipments require a completed Shipper’s Declaration and Air Waybill, whilst road transport demands instructions in writing (TREM card) that tell carriers what actions to take during accidents.
Training and compliance resources
You need formal dangerous goods training before you can classify, pack or ship category a infectious substances under ADR, IATA or IMDG regulations. Your employer must ensure that everyone who handles these materials completes training specific to their role and the transport mode they use. Certification remains valid for two years in most jurisdictions, after which you must complete refresher training to maintain your competence and stay current with regulatory changes.
Mandatory training requirements
Initial dangerous goods training covers classification criteria, packaging selection, documentation preparation and emergency response procedures for infectious substances. You must demonstrate competence through an examination that tests your knowledge of packing instructions P620 or PI620, labelling requirements and transport limitations. Shippers, packers and freight forwarders each need training appropriate to their specific functions, and carriers must verify that your staff hold valid certificates before accepting Category A shipments. Your training provider should deliver courses approved by national aviation authorities when you ship by air.
Ongoing compliance obligations
Recertification training updates your knowledge when regulations change and reinforces critical safety procedures that protect your workforce. You must maintain records of all training certificates, dangerous goods declarations and transport documents for the periods specified by your national competent authority. Regular audits of your packaging procedures, labelling practices and documentation help you identify compliance gaps before regulators discover them during their inspections.
Maintaining current training and comprehensive records demonstrates your commitment to safe transport and regulatory compliance.
Final thoughts
Transporting category a infectious substances requires strict adherence to classification standards, packaging protocols and documentation procedures that protect public health. You must evaluate each pathogen against Category A criteria, assign the correct UN number, and use certified triple packaging that meets P620 or PI620 standards. Your responsibility extends beyond initial training to maintaining current knowledge through recertification and keeping comprehensive records that demonstrate compliance. Regulatory consequences for errors include substantial fines, operational suspensions and potential criminal liability when mishandling leads to exposure events. Professional training from specialists who understand dangerous goods transport keeps your operations compliant and your workforce safe. Logicom Hub offers comprehensive infectious substances training that covers classification, packaging and transport requirements across all modes, ensuring you handle these critical materials with confidence and regulatory precision.