New air cargo covers protect pharma products

Johannesburg-based Marshall Hinds is now distributing the newly released Tyvek triple-action air cargo covers from DuPont, providing a “dependable and affordable” means of complying with the latest international good distribution practice (GDP) requirements for pharmaceutical products. Yves le Minor, key account manager at DuPont, comments: “By controlling temperature and providing protection from damaging solar radiation, the Tyvek covers offer multi-threat thermal protection for goods in air transit, protecting controlled room temperature (CRT) pharma products (+15°C to +25°C) in accordance with current GDP regulations." According to Le Minor, Tyvek air cargo covers have been specifically developed to address the heat flow mechanisms that are at work in the fluctuating air temperature scenarios typically found in air cargo logistics. “Made from low conductivity Tyvek fabric, the covers work through a combination of three complementary operating mechanisms. The white micro-fibre exterior surface of the covers provides a highly reflective barrier to external heat whilst the metallised inner surface presents a ‘low-e’ radiant barrier to help maintain core package temperatures.” When developing the covers, DuPont also assessed the risks and failure modes associated with different cover materials in a wide range of ‘extreme case’ operational scenarios. “The results endorsed research and trials from elsewhere which showed that when it came to severe temperature excursions in air cargo handling the real problem related more to rapid solar gain than to ambient temperatures,” said Le Minor. The DuPont findings also verified the fact that some commonly used packaging materials and products actually served to increase the effect of solar radiation temperature gains during transport, often to unexpectedly high and dangerous levels. The product’s micro-porous composition is a key feature. “While serving as a barrier to rain and snow, the inherent breathability of the Tyvek material reduces the possibility of packaging or label damage resulting from condensation,” Le Minor pointed out. The Tyvek air cargo covers are also very strong, tearresistant, flame retardant, light in weight and very fast to fit. “They provide tamperprotection, are fully weatherresistant and offer an effective barrier against air-borne contamination such as dust, pollen and bird droppings. They also exhibit favourable cooling properties compared to thermal blankets, which is a valuable time-saver in cases where products must be precooled or need to cool down after extensive exposure,” according to Le Minor. CAPTION Tyvek air cargo covers protect temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals from damaging solar radiation.