REMINDER!! New regulations for shipping lithium batteries and equipment
containing lithium batteries by air come into effect on January 1. Here is
a summary as we understand it. Please contact your shipper, supplier or
manufacturer for details.

IATA (International Air Transport Association) requires that lithium
batteries, or equipment containing lithium batteries (containing in excess
of a minimum specified weight of lithium) be shipped as Class 9 hazardous
materials. This requirement will apply to all international air shipments
beginning January 1, 2003. Domestic shipments may or may not be impacted
and are at the discretion of the carrier. Some domestic carriers have
stated that they will be following IATA regulations. Others say that they
will continue to follow the existing DOT regulation - at least for the short
term.

Several manufacturers have announced that they will be or have distributed
guidelines as to how to ship their specific products. Contact your shipper,
supplier or manufacturer for details on how this affects your operations.

These new regulations do not appear to affect goods that contain lithium but
have their own hazardous material classification number. USMSA is working
with DOT and equipment manufacturers on this issue.