Why is it important to ship cord blood in a special transportation container?

In order to protect the internal kit temperature during cord blood shipments, Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation recommends that parents select a family cord blood bank that has a well insulated transportation container, preferably with a temperature logger.

The standard protocol for transporting fresh cord blood is to keep it near room temperature within the range from 15 °C (59 °F) to 25 °C (77 °F). Priority shipping services may guarantee the arrival time, but they do not guarantee the temperature conditions during transit. Ambient temperature can get too hot or too cold while the package is sitting in the back of a truck, on a loading dock, or in the cargo hold of an airplane. This is why a well insulated container, preferably one that has been validated to IATA standards, is important.

In the United States, the post 9/11 security requirements of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) require that specialty medical couriers can only offer cord blood shipping through cord blood banks that are registered with the TSA as a "Known Shipper".  Before 9/11, specialty couriers could market their services directly to consumers, and in some countries this is still possible. Parents should check if their family bank offers specialty courier services before they sign a contract.