The packaging and shipping of clinical specimens and biological agents is no longer a simple process. All clinical laboratories are required to apply and strictly adhere to international, federal, and state regulatory controls. The primary purpose of these regulatory controls is to protect the safety of the public and the environment. Terms such as “infectious substances,” “dangerous goods,” and “hazardous materials” are becoming commonplace when specimens, isolates, and other biological materials are shipped from one facility to another. The regulatory controls are independent of distance and the mode of transportation (i.e., surface, air, and sea). Laboratory personnel are the first link in the transportation chain and have the initial responsibility for properly classifying the material being transported, ensuring the use of approved packaging, labeling, and documentation, and, ultimately, the protection of the contents during transport. Proper packaging and shipment of “infectious substances” not only protect the shipper but also anyone in the transportation chain, including the intended recipient.