Handling Samples Prior to Shipping
When handling samples, it is important you wear gloves to avoid imparting any carbon or oils from your skin to the sample. Wet samples invite bacteria to grow. Dry the samples in either a low temperature oven (recommended at 50oC) or freeze drier.
For many of the samples submitted to the network, sample preparation may have previously been performed offsite. In such cases, collaborators will need to capture and organize metadata for these samples including descriptions of samples, protocols for their preparation, and relevant quantitative and qualitative information about the samples (e.g. experimental conditions, sample quantity and concentration, solvent/buffers, etc.).
To avoid contamination by samples with unnatural high levels of 14C (i.e. “hot samples”), take time to investigate the history of the lab, equipment, or vessel where you collect or prepare samples. Find out if any work has been done in the vicinity involving 14C as a tracer. If there are questions regarding a lab being 14C-free, we recommend conducting low-level swab tests and would encourage the researcher to contact the Tritium Laboratory at the University of Miami. They have developed a well-established routine and protocol for testing laboratories for 14C contamination.
Packaging Samples
Be sure that samples are properly labeled and include any special handling instructions. Provide a general description of sample (weight, number of individual samples in package, value). Submit dry samples in well-labeled, clean glass or plastic containers. Aluminum foil is not recommended for sample containers unless you bake it in a muffle furnace for one hour at 525 degrees Celcius (a carbon residue is left on the surface of foil during production). Place well-labeled containers inside inidivudal plastic bags to prevent sample mixing in case of breakage during shipping.
Shipping Samples
Please mail samples to:
Attn: Derrick Vaughn
ESC 152, 170 Whitney Ave
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
Please forward any delivery notifications from the shipper to us so we can follow the package.
Samples that require chilling are recommended to be sent by overnight express and that delivery is avoided for Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays.
Customs Declaration for DIRECT shipment to Yale:
- Description of goods for your customs declaration form – “Geological Samples for Scientific Study – No Commercial Value – Will be Destroyed in the Analysis.”
- Customs and carriage value – 1 USD
- Harmonized Tariff Number (HS code) – 280300
Post-Analyses Shipping
Solid sample material not consumed during analysis will be archived at Yale. We will return unused portions, if requested. Please let us know before sending samples over if you would want your unused samples.