Frequently Asked Questions
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The FDA, the US Food & Drug Administration, regulates food additives among other things. According to FDA regulations, a food additive is a component of a food contact article that is reasonably expected to migrate to food. Food additives are subject to the premarket approval requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and need to be FDA-compliant.
Our moisture absorbers do not represent a food additive and therefore, Topdry desiccants are not subject to the FDA’s food additive regulations and will not require an FDA clearance.
Our desiccants can be used safely to protect packed food, and other agricultural commodities in sacks or bags, from moisture damage.
REACH is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals.
We declare that, to the best of our knowledge, all products that are manufactured and supplied by Lindia Chemical do not contain any Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), identified in the REACH Candidate list or Annex XIV, in a concentration equal to or above 0.1% weight by weight (w/w). Neither are there any restrictions in the REACH Annex XVII that are applicable to the above-mentioned products.
The directive RoHS 2011/65/EU restricts, with some exceptions, the use of several hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment.
Any packaging material, including desiccants, that is discarded after a product purchase is not considered a part of electronic equipment, so it does not fall within the scope of the RoHS directive. Therefore, desiccants and moisture absorbers do not need to be RoHS-compliant as they are not part of any electronic or electrical equipment.
Dimethylformamide (DMF), more precisely N,N-dimethylformamide (CAS 68-12-2), is an amide of formic acid and is used as a polar organic solvent. The main customers for this chemical are the manufacturers of artificial leather, but it is also used in the production of polyacrylonitrile fibers, in special varnishes and paints and in plastic coating (polyurethanes). DMF – like dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) – is classified as toxic to reproduction by EU harmonization (category 1b, H360D: may cause harm to the unborn child), and the substance may also irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.
DMF is thus a CMR substance (Carcinogens / Mutagens / Reprotoxic) and was therefore included in the SVHC Candidate List (Substances of Very High Concern) on 19 December 2012, and proposed for inclusion in REACH Annex XIV (Authorization List) in ECHA’s 5th Recommendation List in February 2014.
Lindia Chemical confirms that our desiccants are free from DMF and other substances listed on the SVHC list.
Topdry desiccants are made of Calcium Chloride is not classified as hazardous to the environment but classified as H139(can cause serious eye irritation) according to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. The classification as hazardous to health impacts the way our products must be disposed. You will find more information about how to dispose of used desiccants here.
All our products follow regulatory requirements on hazard communication. Warning labels are printed or attached to our products and packaging to warn users about the risks associated to its use and inform about the precautionary statements.
You will find more information about Calcium Chloride hazards, composition, handling and storage in the Safety Data Sheets that you can request on our product pages.
The shelf life of our desiccant products is three years from the production date printed on the packaging label. It is recommended that the desiccants are kept in the original packaging supplied by Topdry at a storage temperature range from 5 °C to 25 °C (41 °F to 77 °F).
If Topdry original packaging has been open but all the desiccants units have not been used, we recommend to make the packaging as airtight as possible following the instructions available at the end of our Installation Manual.
Topdry desiccants are not classified as hazardous for transportation, by air, sea and road freight. Topdry desiccants are not subject to IATA DGR, not restricted in IATA DGR, not belong to explosive substances, flammable substance, oxidizing substances, toxic substances, radioactive substances, corrosive substances, without other danger.
Certification for Transport of Goods（by Air） Certification for Transport of Goods（by Sea）
Topdry desiccants are intended for single use, hence they cannot be reused. However, to minimize the environmental impact of your desiccant solution, Topdry urges our customers to recycle boxes and plastic bags. In additional, the hangers of your container desiccants can be reused in new desiccants.
Information about the disposal of our products is included in the Product Sheets of our product line. There you will find our recommendations to minimize your environmental impact and detailed information about which desiccant parts can be recycled or reused. The plastic parts of our desiccants are usually made from recycled plastic and are easy to disassemble for recycling. Non-woven parts can also be recycled.
The disposal of calcium chloride desiccants depends on local disposal regulations and national authorities. Because calcium chloride is classified as hazardous to health (can cause serious eye irritation, H319) in some regions, it may be handled as hazardous waste in these regions.
Read here the disposal considerations for calcium chloride according to the European Chemicals Agency. You will find more information about waste handling in Section 13 of the Safety Data Sheets, available upon request, and you can contact your local disposal authorities for further information.
Absorption capacity for a desiccant depends on the use of the environment attribute and the concentration of the calcium chloride (the higher concentration of CaCl2, the higher the absorption) and the mix with starch. Topdry container desiccants use 94-97% CaCl2 with an optimized mix of modified starch to reach as high absorption as possible. Absorption capacity is often measured in how much moisture the desiccant can absorb in relation to the desiccants original weight (weight of the absorbing agent). For example, if a 1 kg desiccant can absorb 1 liter of moisture it has absorbed 100%. To validate absorption capacity, it is common to use a climate chamber with a set temperature and a relative humidity which makes sure that the desiccant has a constant feed of available moisture. Normally, 90% relative humidity and 30 °C for 30 days is used, but this may vary. The higher relative humidity, temperature and number of days the test uses, the higher the absorption capacity will be. Topdry desiccants are among the top performers on the market with absorption over 300% in a climate chamber with rH 90% and 30 °C for 30 days, and can perform even better if these three factors are exceeded. Click here to read more about this subject.
The quantity of desiccant needed to prevent moisture damage during shipment of a container will vary depending on various factors such as shipment time, climate conditions, air volume in the container, cargo type, type of packaging used, etc.
Topdry includes general dimensioning recommendations for 20-foot and 40-foot containers in each product sheet, but specific assessment is required to calculate the exact amount and type of desiccant you need.
This is a relatively complex question. In short, Topdry desiccants leverage its excellent absorption capacity absorb the moisture in the air, control the humidity inside the container and box. Thus it prevents the moisture damage.
The strict answer is no. Though common forms of moisture problems such as corrosion, mold or fungus are visible on the outer surface of products or packages, there are some kinds of damage that is not visible. Mostly these damages are internal and visible only when the customer opens the packages. In the case of devices, they often cease to function the way they should.
Fumigation and using a desiccant were served different purposes for the shipment. Fumigation is not alternatives to protect your goods against moisture damage. As preventive, fumigation is the most widely used method for plant quarantine treatment, which has no impact on the humidity inside a container.
Though desiccants are not able to eliminate insect eggs, it can control the relative humidity and help to remove the wetness that mildew or fungi need to survive. Container desiccant can be placed in the container before or after fumigation.
Topdry desiccants prevent moisture damage by controlling the relative humidity and prevent those problems that were caused by high humidity. However, For the sake of minimizing moisture damage, there are still many areas requiring attention. Such as the ventilation holes in the container wall need to be sealed and the number of units to be put in a container was adjusted to the situation.
For Moisture protection, Topdry desiccants can be applied to almost all kinds of cargoes including:
- Agricultural products
- - Bagged spices, coffee, tea, rice, tobacco, pepper, wheat flour, wheat bran, ginger, cloves, cashew nuts, copra, ground nuts, bagged sugar, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, etc.
- Wooden products
- - Furniture, mouldings, timber, wood pulp and paper products, etc.
- Electronic goods
- - Electrical appliances, cables, toys, etc.
- Leather ware
- - Footwear, garments, sofa, clothes, etc.
- Metal products
- - Sheets, machinery, auto, spare parts, aluminum, copper, coil, products, etc.
- Textiles
- - Garments, batik, quilt, blanket, fabrics, feather down, etc.
- Household products
- - Glass ware, melamine, handicrafts, wardrobe, etc.
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When moisture-damaged goods are received by the importer, it's usually too late to salvage the items. In most cases, damaged goods must be destroyed. That is why the best way to protect your investment when importing goods is with a Marine Insurance Policy. Although you should always double check with your insurance provider, many insurers consider this a naturally occurring event that can be anticipated so it is often not covered. However, having a policy in place is still a good course of action.
To further protect yourself, do your due diligence before the container is loaded to ensure there are no leaks. Also, it is a great idea to have photos taken of your goods when they are packed and stowed. These can be given to your insurance provider in the event of a claim as proof the goods were packed in good condition.