‘Dry Ice’ Frostbite Warning... Fresh Food Delivery During Seol Holiday

Not only for holiday gifts but also recently, convenient services that deliver everything from daily necessities to fresh food ordered today by dawn tomorrow have become commonplace.

Dry ice [Image source=Clipart Korea].

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Dry ice, which is carbon dioxide cooled to a solid state, is solid carbon dioxide at minus 78 degrees Celsius. When it melts from a solid state, it changes directly into gas rather than liquid, absorbing heat from the surroundings and rapidly lowering the temperature.

Dry ice is commonly used for delivering fresh food or ice cream due to its extremely cold temperature and gaseous transformation characteristics. It preserves coldness longer than ice packs, and unlike ice, which melts into liquid and can cause leakage and wet products, dry ice is often preferred.

However, touching dry ice with bare hands or having it come into direct contact with the skin can cause frostbite as the skin temperature drops rapidly.

The skin is broadly divided into the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous fat layers. If the outermost epidermis layer is damaged, the skin may turn white, become numb, or experience pain. If the dermis is damaged, swelling or blisters may occur. In severe cases where the entire dermis and blood vessels are damaged, the skin can turn black and lead to necrosis.

Dr. Bae Byung-kwan, head of the Regional Emergency Medical Center at Daedong Hospital (specialist in emergency medicine), said, “Dry ice, one of the coldest substances easily accessible in our daily lives, is frequently encountered when receiving fresh food deliveries or packaging ice cream, so injuries due to carelessness often occur. Our skin has sensory points that detect sensations, and when exposed to extreme cold or heat, nerves perceive pain similar to burns. For this reason, symptoms caused by touching dry ice are sometimes mistaken for burns.”

If frostbite occurs due to dry ice, immerse the affected area in warm water at about 39?42°C for about 30 minutes to raise the body temperature, then protect the wound with clean gauze and seek medical treatment. Avoid popping blisters or applying strong heat to the skin with hot water, hot packs, or hairdryers just because the skin was exposed to cold, as this can worsen the condition.

To prevent frostbite, avoid direct skin contact with dry ice, such as holding it with bare hands. When removing dry ice, it is best to use packaging materials, wear thick gloves, and use tongs. Be cautious not to place dry ice on surfaces easily damaged by low temperatures, as it can harm the surface.

Dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas, reducing oxygen levels and, although rare, posing a risk of suffocation. Avoid inhaling the smoke from dry ice and allow it to sublimate naturally in a well-ventilated, non-enclosed space. Pouring cold water to quickly eliminate dry ice can cause rapid carbon dioxide generation, which may cause packaging to burst or fragments to scatter, so caution is necessary.

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