8-year-old boy injured by glass bottle explosion! Dry ice is non-toxic but don’t play with it!

Authors: Duan Yuechu, Huang Xianghong, Huang Yanhong

In our daily lives, many people are familiar with dry ice. It is often used for refrigeration and preservation, and is also widely used in cleaning, entertainment, firefighting, transportation and other industries. However, this seemingly ordinary substance hides huge dangers. Let's start with a heartbreaking incident.

On September 8, 2024, Haohao, an 8-year-old boy from Jinan, Shandong, encountered a sudden disaster. Haohao stuffed dry ice into a glass bottle with a small mouth and kept shaking it, causing the glass bottle to suddenly explode.

The flying broken glass pierced into the blood vessels on his left face, head, ears and neck. "The whole face was covered with blood, and the child's appearance could not be seen at all." The largest glass shard pierced into Haohao's body was about 3 cm, and the deepest was about 2.5 cm. After being rushed to the hospital, Haohao underwent rescue for 5 hours. Fortunately, when the reporter saw Haohao in the ward on September 10, the wounds on his face had already scarred, with about 30 wounds of various sizes. At present, Haohao has recovered all kinds of behavioral abilities and is in good mental state.

This incident made us deeply aware of the serious consequences that may be caused by improper use of dry ice. So, what exactly is dry ice? Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide, usually a non-toxic and odorless white solid with different shapes. Dry ice will directly sublimate into carbon dioxide gas at room temperature and pressure, with an expansion coefficient of about 800 to 1000 times, and will produce a lot of smoke when it comes into contact with hot water.

Dry ice has a wide range of uses. In the cleaning industry, it can effectively clean stains on the surfaces of various items such as metals, molds, production equipment, ancient artifacts, etc., avoiding corrosion and damage to items by chemical cleaning methods. In the entertainment industry, dry ice is widely used to create sea of ​​clouds effects on stages, theaters, movies, celebrations, parties, etc.; it is also often used to arrange dishes on the table to add smoke effects. In the firefighting industry, dry ice can also be used in the field of firefighting, such as extinguishing archives, precision instruments, low-voltage electrical equipment, etc. In the transportation industry, dry ice is also used for the low-temperature transportation of special medicines such as plasma and vaccines, the long and short-distance transportation of electronic materials and precision devices, and the preservation and transportation of beef, mutton, seafood and other foods.

However, dry ice can be deadly if used improperly.

The first is the risk of explosion. On the one hand, if dry ice is used in a sealed container, it will easily turn into carbon dioxide gas at room temperature, causing the sealed container to explode. On the other hand, placing dry ice in a refrigerator is also extremely dangerous. The sublimation temperature of dry ice is about -78.5℃, while the temperature of the refrigerator freezer is between -4℃ and -24℃. Therefore, after the dry ice is placed in the refrigerator, it will continue to sublimate and produce a large amount of carbon dioxide gas, causing excessive pressure inside the refrigerator and causing an explosion.

The second is the danger of suffocation. The carbon dioxide gas formed after the sublimation of dry ice can cause breathing difficulties and can cause suffocation and death in a short period of time. Recently, the Bijiang Road Police Station of the Minhang Public Security Bureau in Shanghai received a call from a citizen, Ms. Zhou, saying that her husband, Mr. Zhang, suddenly felt unwell while driving and was about to faint. Subsequently, the police quickly rushed to the scene and sent Mr. Zhang to the hospital for emergency treatment. It was learned that Mr. Zhang's car trunk was filled with a box of cold drinks, which were refrigerated with dry ice. Due to the evaporation of dry ice, he inhaled excessive carbon dioxide in the closed compartment, causing physical discomfort. The doctor said that fortunately the rescue was timely, otherwise it would be very likely that an emergency such as hypoxia and suffocation would occur. At present, Mr. Zhang has been discharged from the hospital.

Finally, there is the danger of frostbite. The temperature of dry ice is extremely low and direct contact with the body can cause frostbite.

To avoid these dangers, we should use dry ice correctly. First, do not buy too much dry ice. The unused dry ice should be stored in a special dry ice bucket in a well-ventilated place. Never store dry ice in sealed containers such as cans and mineral water bottles, or in a refrigerator. Secondly, wear antifreeze gloves when handling dry ice, or grab it with tongs. Thirdly, do not use dry ice in confined spaces such as cars and cabins. When transporting dry ice in a vehicle, the cargo should be isolated from the cockpit or there should be a window near the driver to provide adequate ventilation.

If an accident unfortunately happens, we should also know the corresponding first aid measures. Once symptoms such as panting or difficulty breathing occur, it may be due to inhalation of too much carbon dioxide gas, and you should leave the area immediately. When human skin is frostbitten after contact with dry ice, hot compresses should be applied to the surrounding skin and frostbite cream should be used. If the frostbite is serious, medical treatment should be sought in time. Some ice explosions may cause foreign objects to enter the body. While waiting for rescue, do not blindly pull out foreign objects to avoid heavy bleeding or more serious organ damage. If dry ice is accidentally ingested, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

In short, although dry ice has many uses in our lives, we must recognize its dangers and use and store it correctly. Only in this way can we avoid unnecessary harm and let dry ice serve us better.