There are many foreign items that can cause harm to people, animals, and the environment if permitted to enter a country. Government agencies have had to mandate rules and regulations regarding the types of items that can come in and leave their country. Many shipping companies keep a list of items that are not acceptable for shipment in order to comply with the regulations of the airlines, Customs, and agriculture and other government agencies. There are a number of factors that may cause an item to be rejected from entering a country. It may be a violation of airline dangerous goods regulations, government regulations, biosecurity regulations, security regulations, and dangerous goods regulations. The shipment may also be missing the appropriate documentation.

Most companies state that it is the shipper's responsibility to ensure their items are allowed into another country. While prohibited items may appear harmless, under certain circumstances they can easily become dangerous. For instance, air pressure and temperature fluctuations could cause a prohibited item to leak, ignite, or explode. Before shipping an item, you should make sure it is not prohibited from entering a country.

The following is a list of items that will most likely be detained by customs agents:

• Explosives: ammunition, fireworks, igniters, flares
• Human and animal parts: cultures, biological products; human or animal skin, bone grafts, and other anatomical parts prepared for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes which can cause disease in humans or animals. Ivory is another prohibited item.
• Cultures: biological products capable of causing infection including viruses, fungi, bacteria, and serums.
• Gases: aerosol cans, cigarette lighters, camping gas tanks, propane tanks, fire extinguishers
• Flammable liquids and flammable solids: paint, alcohol, perfume, matches, petrol, kerosene, aftershave, turpentine, solvents, cleaning fluids, nitrate products
• Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides: hair dye, disinfectants
• Toxic and infectious substances: pesticides
• Counterfeit or pirated goods or material
• Precious metals
• Radioactive materials
• Corrosives: mercury thermometers, bleach, nail polish and remover, nitric acids, battery fluids
• Cannabis utensils: bongs, hash pipes, and certain roach clips
• Building materials: wood items, lumber
• Firewood or raw wood products
• Dirt: soil, clay and sand.
• Drugs and medication
• Animal drugs and medication
• Controlled drugs: cocaine, cannabis
• Tobacco: chewing and smoking tobacco.
• Money: coins, cash, currency, paper money and negotiable documents such as endorsed stocks, bonds, and cash letters.
• Food items: foods that can spoil, chocolate, meat and meat products, fish
• Dead animals: dead animal carcasses or parts. This includes taxidermy and animals or animal parts prepared for mounting or display. Bird feathers
• Livestock: cattle, sheep, pigs. Equipment used with animals or soil
• Birds, Bees, and insects
• Live plants and plant seeds, cut flowers: Severed portion of plants in a fresh state without soil, including the flower or bloom
• Precious Stones: Stones of remarkable value such as diamonds, industrial diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls.
• Pornography
• Alcohol: wine, beer...etc.
• Dairy products: milk, cheese...etc.
• Religious statues, religious ornaments
• Postage stamps
• Polymerizable items: asbestos, dry ice, wet-cell batteries
• Fur: pelts, samples, clothing, anything made of fur such as linings or trims, and furs of endangered species
• Refrigerators, freezers and other goods that contain ozone depleting substances
• Medical Waste: used hypodermic needles, syringes, or other medical waste.

Maintaining a list of prohibited items helps governments keep their countries safe. All shipments are subject to inspection by custom officials. To ensure that your shipment will pass inspection and arrive safely, you should be aware of the items that are likely to be rejected.

Providing domestic and international shipping http://www.purolator.com/products_services/international.html

Courier services, freight and overnight delivery.