A case has come to light in a restaurant in Gurgaon in which five people started bleeding from their mouths after eating dry ice instead of mouth freshener. Police believe that a waiter had mistakenly served the guests dry ice instead of mouth freshener. Upon eating it, they experienced a burning sensation in his mouth, which was followed by bleeding from the mouth. Some started vomiting and the situation became serious. After this, these people reached the hospital where they came to know that they had consumed dry ice instead of mouth freshener, due to which this situation occurred. So, let us know what it is and what are the disadvantages of eating dry ice.
What is Dry Ice?
Dry Ice is a type of dry ice whose temperature is up to -80 degrees. It is made only of solid carbon dioxide. Understand it like this, when you keep normal ice in your mouth, it melts and turns into water, but when it melts, it directly expands into carbon dioxide gas. Dry ice is often used to store groceries and medical items due to its exceptionally low temperature. Apart from this,
it is used in photoshoots and theatre.
According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, dry ice is "commonly used as a cooling agent for food products like ice cream, frozen desserts, etc."
However, according to the Quint report, an October 2019 FSSAI notification adds, "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)."
How Dry Ice is Dangerous for Health?
Dry ice can be a very serious threat to the body as it will melt due to the heat of the mouth as soon as it is eaten and immediately spread throughout the mouth. As this ice melts, it turns into carbon dioxide gas and damages surrounding tissues and cells. This can cause a person to become unconscious and in some cases even die. Leave aside food, and keep dry ice away from your skin. Even if you ever touch it, wear cloth or leather gloves and use towels etc. Otherwise, it may cause bleeding as soon as it comes in contact with the skin.
Not only this, exposure to carbon dioxide can cause headache, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, tremors, confusion and ringing in the ears. Excessive exposure can lead to coma and death.
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