A Gurgaon restaurant reported five persons bleeding from their mouths after eating dry ice instead of mouth freshener. Police think a waitress gave guests dry ice instead of mouth freshener.
He started bleeding after eating it and feeling a burning sensation. It got worse when some vomited. After this, they went to the hospital and learned they had eaten dry ice instead of mouth freshener. Tell us about eating dry ice and its drawbacks.
What’s Dry Ice?
The temperature of dry ice can reach -80 degrees. It is solid carbon dioxide alone. In your mouth, conventional ice melts into water, but dry ice sublimes, directly expanding into carbon dioxide gas. Due to its extreme cold, dry ice is utilized to store goods and medicine. Other than this, theatre and photoshoots use it.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India says dry ice “commonly used as a cooling agent for food products like ice cream, frozen desserts, etc.”
According to the story, an October 2019 FSSAI advisory states, “If not handled properly it may endanger human health, as it sublimes into large quantities of carbon dioxide gas which could pose a danger of breathlessness (hypercapnia).”
Why is dry ice unhealthy?
Dry ice can be dangerous because it melts in the mouth and spreads throughout the body when swallowed. This ice sublimes into carbon dioxide gas, damaging tissues and cells. People can become unconscious and die from this. Leave food and dry ice off your skin. Wear cloth or leather gloves and towels if you touch it. Otherwise, it may cause bleeding when it touches the skin.
In addition, carbon dioxide can produce headaches, dizziness, breathing difficulties, tremors, confusion, and ringing in the ears. Overexposure can cause coma and death.
