Mary A. Braswell
Houston Field Office
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Join us for this informative online session presented by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), and Houston Field Office (HFO).
Intended audience: Researchers, biosafety professionals, infection preventionists working in international settings, and others interested in shipping and receiving infectious substances internationally
The interception and seizure of undeclared, prohibited biological materials brought into or taken out of the United States by air passengers continue to rise. Many of these biological material shipments do not meet Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) permitting requirements and several also did not meet Department of Transportation (DOT) packaging and labeling requirements. Some biological materials do not require permits but do require specific, detailed statements about the biological material, and must be provided to facilitate regulatory decisions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), Houston Field Office (HFO) began an initiative in June 2020 to strengthen outreach efforts to better educate the scientific research community on the proper procedures to follow when transporting biological materials into or out of the United States.
Additional information can be found at the CBP.GOV website using the following link: https://www.cbp.gov/biologicals