CDC tests using the Marathon TempCheck

Validation of cold chain procedures suitable for distribution of vaccines by public health programs in the USA.

Alan P. Kendal, Robert Snyder, and Paul J. Garrison (National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia)

"To enhance quality assurance of vaccine distribution by public health programs in the U.S., various methods for packing vaccines were validated. Validation involved both tests in an environmental chamber and actual shipping of packages by commercial overnight delivery service. Dry ice was used with vaccines needing to be kept at temperatures lower than -14°C, and water-based cold packs with other vaccines."

"Disposable analog recording thermometers (Marathon Temperature Recorder Co., Modesto, CA) were used in real life shipping tests. They were placed in the middle of the vaccines in the smaller packages, or in the top layer of vaccines in larger-size packages. These monitors produce continuous linear strip charts over 4 days."

"The conclusions that the methods are satisfactory depended on measurement of temperaturs inside packages of vaccines, not on testing vaccine potencies. Nevertheless, the fact that temperatures were measured throughout the test, not just at the beginning and end, means there is no reason to doubt the validity of our conclusions"

—Excerpt from the health journal: VACCINE 1997 Volume 15 Number 12/13, 1459-1465.

The "disposable analog recording thermometers" cited in the article are Marathon's TempChecks. TempCheck is a battery powered temperature recorder that displays the time and temperature (Fahrenheit and Celsius) on strip chart paper. Run times: between 2 and 60 days.

Guidelines for Smallpox Vaccine Packing and Shipping
      Prepared by the National Immunization Program at the CDC

To open the Data Sheet, you will need Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher. Click the icon below to download the newest reader software.