Postal Letter

What are the real dangers of items that USPS refuse to ship internationally?

I know aerosol cans are hazardous because they're pressurized and mostly flammable. What's the problem with perfumes though? I don't think their alcohol content is so significant that they can be considered flammable? Is the possibility of leakage the only reason behind USPS not transporting liquids (body oils, lotions, gels and serums) internationally? How come it's safe to have these items in your luggage when you travel then?

Public Comments

1. All of the banned items look to X-Rays and other tests like bomb materials. That's the main reason. Leakage and flammability are also reasons. Carry-on luggage does not permit these items, except in very small amounts. Checked baggage can be hand-searched if necessary.
2. Ask Al Gore and his whole gaggle of green peace weanies. Its all about the possible inpact it might have on the ocean if 5oz of your perfume goes in the ocean. If you think about why they let you take it on a air plane the reason is simple. Would you want to be around a whole airplane of people with out perfume. PS, What does x-ray have to do with it or carry on luggage, USPS does not carry passengers. It is all a conspiracy I tell you. The government does not want you sending smell good to other countries because you might offend them by insinuating that they smell bad. Ha Ha
3. Curtis B is sorely mistaken. It has nothing to do with the potential environmental impact of perfumes or body lotions and everything to do with the simple fact that perfume is highly flammable. Some materials are simply flammable and can start a fire or add to an already existing fire. Other materials while not hazardous themselves become hazardous when mixed with other materials. The nice thing for USPS (or UPS, or FedEx) is that these decisions are already made for them. They don't need to know every single material that goes on their plane. If it is classified as Hazardous Material (HazMat) it doesn't go unless many other precautions are taken. Most airlines will not ship HazMat at all (mine is one of those). All Hazmat requires special declarations, handling, approvals, and safeguards and for the most part it is simply not financially worth it to transport that kind of thing. As for why it is ok to have them in your luggage, fires generated by small quantities carried in a carry on can be doused with an onboard fire extinguisher, and any fire that develops in the cargo compartment can be snuffed using a halon extinguisher that evacuates the oxygen from the cargo compartment and keeps the O2 saturation too low for anything to burn. It is not feasible to employ this type of system on a cargo airplane as the entire fuselage is the cargo compartment. Using a halon extinguisher on one of these aircraft would also kill the pilots, negating any benefit gained by using them.