Dry ice is a wonderful cleaning agent, tons of fun to play with, and a great refrigerant. In all its glory, dry ice does come with one drawback. Dry ice can be dangerous if you do not know and follow the safety rules.
When people ask the question, “Why is dry ice dangerous?”, they are really looking for all of the potential hazards associated with using (and playing) with dry ice. Let’s take a couple minutes and talk about some of the things that make dry ice dangerous.
Asphyxiation
Dry ice is nothing more than a solid form of carbon dioxide. Instead of melting in to a puddle of liquid carbon dioxide, it sublimates directly in to carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide gas can be very dangerous when you are in a confined space. Dry ice rule #1 is that you must use dry ice in a well ventilated area. As dry ice warms up, it releases carbon dioxide gas in to the air. Too much carbon dioxide gas can cause asphyxiation and even death. Always use dry ice in a well ventilated area.
Dry Ice Burn
Dry ice is extremely cold. It is at least -109.3 °F. Why is dry ice dangerous? Another reason is that exposure to the skin can cause an immediate burn on your skin if you touch the dry ice without gloves. The dry ice will actually kill the skin upon contact. Some people say that this could take a few seconds, but do not mess around with this. Always use gloves/tongs when using dry ice.
Do Not Swallow
It should go without saying, but here goes. Please do not swallow dry ice. It can burn your esophagus and cause stomach damage. This is extremely painful. Many people put dry ice in drinks. If you do this, make sure that you are careful not to drink it.