At a blogger's party, people died due to dry ice: in what cases is this product dangerous
'04.03.2020'
Source: Medusa
Three people died during the celebration of the birthday of blogger Yekaterina Didenko in a Moscow bath. The reason for the tragedy was that about 30 kilograms of dry ice was poured into a small pool, "Jellyfish".
Once in the water, it quickly turned into carbon dioxide and displaced oxygen from a small space. Two of those who jumped into the pool, suffocated and died on the spot, several more people were hospitalized. Didenko's husband, Valentin, later died in intensive care.
What is dry ice?
Dry ice is carbon dioxide, also known as carbon dioxide (CO₂), in solid form. Scientists got its first samples back in the 79th century, and began to actively use them in the XNUMXth. Dry ice is produced as follows: carbon dioxide is cooled to a solid state, after which it becomes like loose snow, and then pressed under pressure to obtain granules or blocks of a denser consistency. The temperature of dry ice is about -XNUMX ° C.
What is it for?
Most often - for freezing products, as well as for their transportation and storage. It was for this purpose that dry ice began to be used in the USA in the 1920s. With quick freezing, foods retain more beneficial properties because they occur at temperatures much lower than those needed to freeze water. Thus, water does not have time to form large crystals of ice, which destroy the cells and fibers of the products.
Still dry ice is used when serving dishes in restaurants or during performances to create a fog effect. If you put dry ice in a glass, the liquid in it will begin to boil, as if boiling, and dense white smoke will descend along the walls. When the carbon dioxide has completely evaporated, bubbles will appear in the drink and it can be drunk. It is with CO₂ that they produce all carbonated drinks and soft drinks.
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So is it safe?
Not really. The normal concentration of carbon dioxide is considered to be 0,04% - that is how much CO₂ is contained in the Earth’s atmosphere. Indoors, its content may increase to 0,06%. But if carbon dioxide in the air becomes noticeably greater, those present in the room may develop carbon dioxide intoxication, or hypercapnia. In this case, carbon dioxide accumulates in the blood and tissues, and a person experiences headache, nausea and suffocation. If oxygen is not delivered to the lungs in time, a person with CO₂ poisoning may lose consciousness and die.
During the evaporation of a large mass of dry ice, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the room increases sharply, but those present may not immediately feel it. That is why in all instructions for dry ice it is recommended to use it in the fresh air or in well-ventilated areas.
It turns out that the guests in the bath died from suffocation?
Yes, that’s what happened. The footage that the guests of Didenko recorded seconds before the tragedy shows that in a small pool where dry ice was thrown, dense white smoke formed. People who immediately dived into the water, found themselves in a dense cloud of carbon dioxide, which immediately replaced the oxygen. According to Valentin Vlasov, supervisor of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, their heads were actually in a layer of carbon dioxide above water, but they did not immediately understand what was happening, so they began to lose consciousness. You can faint and choke in such a situation after only a few breaths.
So you can’t throw dry ice into the pool?
No, there is no such prohibition. There are dozens of videos online where people throw about the same amount of ice into the pool and even bathe in it after that. But they do it in outdoor pools, where the probability of suffocation is extremely small. Judging by the correspondence laid out on the network by Valentin Didenko, the organizers of the holiday in the bathhouse were warned by the producer of dry ice. Moreover, when working with dry ice, even in open areas, additional safety measures must be observed. For example, you can touch it only with gloves, otherwise it is likely to get severe frostbite. For the same reason, dry ice should not come into contact with eyes and exposed areas of the body: when working with it, it is recommended to wear glasses, closed clothing and shoes. Solid carbon dioxide cannot be swallowed - if you want to drink a drink in which you put dry ice, you must wait until it is completely dissolved.
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How often do people die from exposure to carbon dioxide?
Unfortunately, this happens. Most often, people die from carbon dioxide poisoning in poorly ventilated cellars and cellars, especially if root crops such as potatoes or carrots are stored there. When they rot in a closed, unventilated room, thiols, carbon dioxide and methane accumulate. A person descending into the basement may not notice that carbon dioxide has virtually displaced the air in the room, quickly lose consciousness and die.
You can still get poisoned with carbon dioxide when you descend into the well, where this gas also accumulates. Therefore, before the descent, it is usually advised to lower the candle down: if it goes out, it means that it does not have enough oxygen for burning and it is dangerous to be below.
The heroine of Emil Zola’s novel “Abbot Mouret's Act” committed suicide by shutting herself in a room full of flowers that emit just carbon dioxide. A similar rumor was circulating about the death of the Russian actress Vera Kholodnaya. According to one version that was voiced, including by her granddaughter, she could suffocate from the smell of a huge bouquet of lilies. However, such cases are unlikely. This will require either a very small room, or a huge number of flowers that would fill the room to the ceiling. Moreover, everything should happen at night, when the plants do not produce oxygen during photosynthesis, but only absorb air and emit carbon dioxide.
That is, if the room is ventilated, it is impossible to die from suffocation?
You can not say for sure. In nature, there are places where, due to certain conditions, carbon dioxide accumulates, despite a sufficient concentration of oxygen. For example, carbon dioxide accumulates in the Dog’s Cave near Naples, which enters there from a fumarole — a volcanic fissure. But since CO₂ is heavier than air, it remains only in the deepest parts of the cave at the very bottom. People of medium height were not in danger in such parts of the cave, as they breathed air at the vaults. However, the dog, which was closer to the ground, could lose consciousness from carbon dioxide poisoning. This experience was demonstrated by local guides who took tourists to the cave in the XNUMXth century. Later, the dog was brought to life, immersed in the cold water of the lake.
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Is carbon monoxide death the same thing?
No, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are two different substances. Carbon monoxide, also known as carbon monoxide (CO), is formed during the combustion of materials containing carbon and is considered very toxic - for poisoning its concentration in air can be much lower than in the case of carbon dioxide. Once in the human body, carbon monoxide acts on hemoglobin and can quickly block the processes of oxygen transport through the body and cellular respiration. Most often, people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in locked garages with a car engine running or in a house with closed windows where the stove is not being heated properly.
