Information on Transporting Lake Sediment Samples Through U.S. Customs
United States Department of Agriculture information is available below:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/pdf_files/50Miscellaneous.pdf
Dear Paleolimnologists,
I recently had difficulty bringing lake sediment cores from Svalbard,
Norway, through U.S. Customs and wanted to share what I learned.
In my experience, the Customs officers associated "lake sediment
samples" with "organic matter-rich soil," which resulted in the
involvement of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Border
Protection. I found that rather than try and convince customs and USDA
that lake sediment is not soil, it is easier for all concerned to apply
for a soil permit for your lab. This involves filling out an
application, a lab visit, and agreeing to handle the samples in a manner
specified by the USDA (eg. having a hepa filter on your fumehood, not
washing soil samples down the drain, and autoclaving the samples when
you are done with them). A soil permit is good for five years.
Further information on USDA soil permitting is available at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/soil/index.html
Additionally, a USDA official suggested that when shipping cores from
the Arctic you should include a letter along with the shipping manifest
that explains the core location, water depth (over 6 feet), and that the
sediment is free of organic/biologic matter.
Best,
Al Werner
Mount Holyoke College
E-mail: awerner [at] mtholyoke.edu
Phone: 413-538-2134