E005: Coolant Packs
This section primarily covers coolant-packs which are used as the temperature control medium in the insulated containers described in Section E004. A coolant-pack is a purpose designed, leak-proof container filled with coolant. The term "coolant-pack" recognizes the potential for use more broadly than with frozen water as icepacks. See section E005.2. This category also covers "fixed containers" that hold coolant but are not intended for removal by users from both powered and non-powered (passive) cold chain equipment.
Details regarding the products included in each sub-category of E005, as well as guidelines, performance specifications and verification protocols for this category, can be accessed through the drop-down sections below.
E005 PRODUCT DATA SHEETS: Category E005 product data sheets are available for view, download and comparison here.
The coolant-packs listed in the E005 product data sheets are all suitable for use in the transport of vaccines. IMD-PQS allows three standard sizes of coolant-pack: 0.3 litre, 0.4 litre and 0.6 litre. Coolant-packs may be used as conventional frozen or conditioned icepacks or as cool and/or warm-packs in cold climates.
Make sure coolant-pack sizes are suitable for the cold boxes or vaccine carriers they are intended to be used with. DO NOT purchase pre-filled coolant-packs, because they could be filled with a substance that is not WHO-prequalified. Additional guidelines on how to use passive containers and coolant-packs for vaccine transport and outreach operations can be found in the WHO Vaccine Management Handbook.
WHO will continue to review the use of non-water coolant-packs that change phase at a temperature other than 0°C ("phase-change material" or PCM). At the current time, the safety, simplicity and low transport costs associated with water-based products which are filled in-country are considered to outweigh the possible performance benefits of phase-change materials in removable coolant-packs for routine immunization.
PCMs and their use in fixed containers integrated as part of cold chain equipment is specified in the following category documentation section, and will continue to be reviewed by WHO.