Guidelines for the Storage of Essential Medicines and Other Health ...

■■Keep the storeroom well ventilated (see section onhumidity). For better ventilation, store boxes on palletsand leave room between rows of stacked boxes (see sectionon arranging products).Keep direct sunlight out of the storeroom.Refrigerators and freezers■ Refrigerators that open on the top are more efficient thanvertical ones, because hot air rises while cold air falls.■ The coldest part of vertical refrigerators is at the bottom.■ Store products that are sensitive to freezing or verylow temperatures on the upper shelves.■ Always have enough frozen icepacks to transport itemsrequiring cold storage in cold boxes and/or vaccinecarriers. Use only icepacks filled with water. Do notuse icepacks prefilled with otherliquids, which are usually blueor green. Whenordering cold chainequipment, largerfacilities shouldreassess the needsfor icepacks andicepack freezerspace.60