Transporting Hazardous Materials

The procedures below apply to all materials considered hazardous by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). If you are unsure whether your material qualifies, consult your Beamline Safety Coordinator or the APS Engineering Support Division (AES) ES&H Coordinator. Small quantity shipments may qualify for a DOT exemption — your home institution or Beamline can help you determine this. For additional guidance on the DOT Small Quantity Exception, air shipments of cryopreserved biological samples in dry-shippers, and on-site transport, refer to APS User Safety Policies & Procedures 3.1.34 (APS_1410268). For radioactive materials, contact the APS User Safety Program before shipping — special handling is required and the shipping address will be provided by the ANL Special Materials Group.
Incoming Shipments

When possible, obtain hazardous chemicals from the APS stockroom. If you can't get what you need from the stockroom, keep the amount being shipped to the APS as small as possible.

Under no circumstances may you transport a nonexempt hazardous material to the APS in your own car or other personal vehicle.

To have a hazardous material shipped to your Beamline's facilities at the APS, follow these steps:

  1. Arrange to have all shipping duties handled by persons with appropriate hazardous materials training.
  2. Provide the above individuals with all the information they need to prepare the shipment.
  3. Inform your Beamline Safety Coordinator of the planned shipment and arrange for any special handling the shipment may require upon arrival.
  4. Provide SDSs (Safety Data Sheets — not MSDSs) for each hazardous chemical in your shipment. Electronic copies in PDF form are strongly preferred. Do not send web links.
  5. Advise the shipper to address the package to:

Recipient's Name c/o Bldg 46, Haz Mat
ANL, Bldg XXX, Rm XXXX (ex. Bldg 434, D002)
9700 South Cass Ave
Lemont, IL 60439 

Also inform the shipper of any supplementary labeling information recommended by the Beamline Safety Coordinator to help ensure proper handling of the shipment upon arrival.

NOTE: Deliveries of hazardous materials will not be accepted at Argonne National Laboratory on Saturday or Sunday.

Hazardous Materials may not be shipped to the Argonne Guest House.  Such shipments will be refused.

Outgoing Shipments

To ship a hazardous material from the the APS to an off-site location, follow these steps:

  1. Give the following information to your Beamline Safety Coordinator:
    • Identity of the material (chemical name - no abbreviations or acronyms)
    • Amount of the material

    • All associated hazards

      The Beamline Safety Coordinator will then work with ANL to prepare an ANL shipping order and obtain appropriate packaging. 

  2. Complete the process by working with the person designated by your Beamline to be responsible for shipping arrangements. Instructions for completing an ANL-126C Shipping Order.

  3. Provide your Beamline Safety Coordinator with the following four items:

    Shipping Information — Your name and e-mail address or phone number; name and phone number of the person the shipment is going to; name of the company or institution; full shipping address including city, state, zip code and country (no P.O. boxes)

    Billing and Timing — Account number to which the shipment can be charged (FedEx, UPS, or APS User Acct); requested arrival date. Note: Hazardous materials can only be shipped via FedEx.

    Manifest — An itemized list of everything in your shipment. Hardware and tools of little value can be shown as "misc tools and hardware." For each line item include: description (chemical names, not formulas, except for synthetic materials; no abbreviations or acronyms), quantity, hazards, and approximate value in USD. The manifest must be complete and accurate, and every item in the shipment should be clearly labeled with a number that corresponds to a line item in your list. If the list is only a few lines, you can include it as text in your e-mail; otherwise it should be sent as a PDF or Word document. If you are sending multiple packages, please send a separate list for each and label them so we know which list goes with which package. Note: If you are sending nanomaterials, see the Nanomaterials section below.

    SDSs — Please provide SDSs (Safety Data Sheets — not MSDSs) for each of the chemicals in your shipment. Do not send web links. Electronic copies in PDF form are strongly preferred. For materials that are synthetic or otherwise have no applicable SDS, please provide SDSs that will be a good approximation of the hazards of the materials.

  4. Materials must be in compatible inner containers that are clearly labelled with the contents.
  5. If you do not follow these instructions your shipment will be delayed until all required information for shipping is correct.

Special Cases

Hazardous Materials Hazardous materials may only be shipped via FedEx. If you are unsure whether your material qualifies as hazardous under U.S. DOT regulations, consult your Beamline Safety Coordinator or the AES ES&H Coordinator before arranging shipment.

Radioactive Materials Radioactive materials require special handling and cannot follow the standard outgoing shipping process. Contact the APS User Safety Program before shipping. The appropriate shipping address for radioactive materials will be provided by the ANL Special Materials Group.

Biological Materials / Cryopreserved Samples If you are shipping cryopreserved biological samples in dry shippers, specific DOT requirements apply to air shipments of these materials. Refer to APS User Safety Policies & Procedures 3.1.34 (APS_1410268) for guidance, or contact the APS User Safety Program with questions.

Nanomaterials If you are shipping nanomaterials, they must be packaged in a very particular way, according to the following requirements:

  1. Pack the nanomaterials in a chemically compatible container such as a jar or vial and close the container.
  2. Seal the container using a secondary means to prevent it from opening during transport. Tape works well for securing a lid to a vial.
  3. Place the container into a chemically compatible intermediate packaging such as a Ziplock bag, with sufficient cushioning to prevent damage to the inner container, and sufficient absorbent material to absorb the total liquid contents (if a liquid).
  4. Obtain a nanomaterials label from your Beamline Safety Coordinator and place it on the outside of the intermediate packaging.
Internal Shipments
Do not use your personal vehicle to move a hazardous material from building to building within ANL unless it qualifies for the small quantity exception in APS User Safety Policies & Procedures 3.1.34 (APS_1410268). Your APS Floor Coordinator/Beamline Safety Coordinator will help you arrange all on-site moves.  To arrange for a Hazmat T-Run contact 630-252-7092 .
Reference

DOT Hazardous Materials Training Course Workbook. This link may be used as a reference and guide for shipping hazardous materials. This link is to a workbook. Reading this information DOES NOT mean that you are trained in Hazardous Materials Shipping. If you have any questions about shipping materials to/from the ANL/APS please contact your institution's shipping department or your Beamline contact.

Please contact the APS User Safety Program if you have any questions or can not access the internal links

Updated: April 7, 2026