IATA warns of growing threat to aircraft from e-commerce lithium battery sales
This article discusses a trend relating the shipment of lithium batteries violating current regulations. While not BioPharma specific, it provides a window into the existing regulatory landscape, and continued concern relating to lithium battery shipments via air – this is of course relevant considering most digital temperature monitors and data loggers use this battery technology.
Concerns are growing within the air cargo industry over the transport of lithium batteries, due to the wilful neglect of regulations by shippers and their lack of safety oversight.
Addressing Air Freight Institute (AFI) delegates at the FIATA World Congress in Taipei last week, IATA global head of cargo Glyn Hughes said the industry needed to be increasingly aware of some shippers trying to circumvent regulations and deliberately shipping dangerous cargo.
“As an industry we have to be vigilant. We have to be thinking about how we can spot these shipments and prevent them, because in some cases there is wilful neglect in terms of the resolutions, the regulations and the shipping requirements of ICAO,” he said.
Source: The Loadstar
