Today is the day when people all over the world celebrate love. This celebration is often manifested by the sending of cherished missives and objects from lover to lover. While the standard Valentine’s card or box of chocolates requires no special measures, it’s important to realize that many romantic notions have Dangerous Goods implications.

We regret having to say this, but passion is no excuse for non-compliance.

If you’re using any of the following expressions or objects to express your love this Valentine’s Day, please be sure to observe all relevant regulations to keep your shipments compliant and safe.

A hunka hunka burnin’ love. Depending on the temperature and chemical makeup of your hunk, Obexion is likely your ideal packaging solution. Its treated fiberboard mitigates lithium battery fires hotter than 1000° F, and its DOT Special Permit 20432 allows transport as an Excepted Quantity.

A piece of your heart. We know you won’t be sending a piece of your own heart (unless you’ve preserved the parts removed during valve replacement surgery), but if you have a notion to ship a partial or intact human heart (or any other organ), be advised you will need an Infectious Substance Shipper kit and a biohazard label.

Sealed with a kiss. As a practical matter, sealing even a common envelope with a kiss will be insufficient to keep it closed throughout its journey to delivery. As a compliant alternative for any Dangerous Goods application, we strongly recommend Labelmaster’s Tamper Evident Security Tape.

Smooth as Tennessee whiskey. While no one can literally be “as smooth as Tennessee whiskey,” we understand a popular song may invite the comparison. Should you wish to convey this notion to a loved one through the transport of an actual bottle of the substance, however, we remind you alcoholic beverages are a Class 3 flammable liquid, UN 3065.

Heart-shaped boxes may be suitable for chocolates, but little else. There’s a reason no UN-certified packaging is heart-shaped.

Head over heels. This has always struck us as an odd way to express the feeling of being so in love that the world has turned upside-down. After all, isn’t your head usually over your heels? At any rate, for the many regulated substances that should only be shipped in one orientation, we recommend this-end-up labels and damage indicators.

Time standing still. Your loved one may appreciate the idea of time never elapsing while you are together, but your supply chain partners would beg to differ. Since shipments delayed due to compliance errors hurt your bottom line, we recommend Labelmaster DGIS software, which validates shipping information in seconds against the latest regulations from PHMSA and IATA.

A crush. How romantic to imagine you’re so hopelessly infatuated with someone that the impact is metaphorically crushing! But how un-romantic to imagine a Dangerous Goods container being crushed. Unless you’re shipping metaphors, we recommend UN-certified metal packaging.

Chemistry. You may believe “chemistry” draws you and your beloved together. This is nonsense—you are drawn together by nothing more than a combination of physical attraction and compatible psychological profiles. Real chemistry is quite complicated, which is why we leave it to the authors of the IATA DGR and the 49 CFR to apply it to hazmat transport regulations.

Taking it to the next level. We profess to a poor understanding of the younger generation’s courtship hierarchies. (Can someone please explain this “with benefits” terminology?) Regardless, we believe modern lovers would do well to apply the “next level” idea to understanding UN packaging levels, as well as the other details described in this Dangerous Goods packaging infographic.

Everyone at Labelmaster wishes you a safe, compliant, metaphorically hot Valentine’s Day!

Labelmaster is a full-service provider of goods and services for hazardous materials and Dangerous Goods professionals, shippers, transport operators and EH&S providers. See our complete line of solutions at labelmaster.com.