1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in packaging, and in particular, pertains to packaging for medical specimens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patient specimens which are to be analyzed in a medical laboratory often must be transported or shipped from the collection site to the laboratory which may be in another building or in another more remote geographic area. Such shipments increase the risk of breakage or leaking of the specimen containers during transport. Persons handling the specimens during or after shipment thus may be exposed to hazardous infective agents which may be present in the specimens such as viruses, for example, the HIV virus responsible for AIDS or the hepatitis virus, infectious bacteria, fungi, and protozoans.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a package and method for inhibiting the activity and infectiousness of any pathogens or other infective agents which may be released during breakage or leaking of specimen containers, and for reducing the likelihood of accidental contamination by a specimen which has been or is being transported from one site to another.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a package and a method for indicating when leaking of a specimen container has occurred in the package.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.