Improve Cold Chain Logistics with WarmMark Time Temperature Indicator

Shipping in summer temperature or to equatorial regions can irreparably damage many temperature-sensitive products. So can sitting on a tarmac or in a mailbox on even a balmy day. Heat has the potential to harm all sorts of products from pharmaceuticals and medical tests, to chemicals, foods, wine, and flowers.

For pharmaceuticals, medical samples, and assays, the effects can be disastrous, turning safe therapeutics into harmful substances and making critical medical samples worthless. Even medications normally stored at room temperature – insulin and aspirin, for example – can become less effective when exposed to higher than normal heat.

Sometimes, the stakes for therapeutics and medical tests are even higher. If testing assays or samples are compromised by heat, the ramifications can ripple throughout the world in the form of false positives and false negatives. Eventually, medications and vaccines will be developed and many of those will require temperature-controlled handling.

Single-Use Temperature Recorders for Shipping Any Heat-Sensitive Cargo

The risk isn’t just for pharmaceuticals, of course. Even bottles of water can be affected by prolonged exposure to heat, causing the bonds between the plastic molecules to break down. As a result, minuscule particles of plastic are released into the water. While plastic contamination from an occasionally overheated water bottle won’t cause health problems, the quantities can accumulate in the body.

WarmMark, a time-temperature indicator sticker, provides insights into your cold chain logistics so you will know which packages may have experienced thermal damage and which were handled properly.

This single-use temperature recorder for shipping turns red when it reaches the temperature threshold you selected. Then, unlike many temperature indicator stickers, WarmMark starts a countdown, with its three individual indicator dots changing color for brief, moderate, and prolonged exposure. Those durations vary by temperature. So, for example, “brief” exposure means 2 hours at 0°C/32°F, but means 30 minutes at 25°C/77°F and above. Based on the temperature and exposure, you’ll know whether a product remains safe and effective or whether it should be replaced.

As products become increasingly temperature sensitive, your ability to gain insights into your cold chain management and logistics becomes vital. WarmMark provides those insights, giving you hard data to support your decisions about today’s shipments and about your cold chain logistics going forward.

Contact us to learn how time temperature indicators can help you improve your cold chain management practices.