Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com
Speaker 1: where smart Happens. Hi Am Marshall Brain with today's question,
Speaker 1: why is dry ice dangerous? There are two things that
Speaker 1: can make dry ice dangerous. The first is its temperature,
Speaker 1: and the second is the carbon diox eye gas it
Speaker 1: gives off. If you ever have a chance to handle
Speaker 1: dry ice, you want to be sure to wear heavy gloves.
Speaker 1: The super cold surface temperature can easily damage your skin
Speaker 1: if you touch it directly. For the same reason, you
Speaker 1: never want to taste or swallow dry ice either. Another
Speaker 1: important concern with dry ice is ventilation. You want to
Speaker 1: make sure that the area is very well ventilated. Carbon
Speaker 1: dioxide is heavier than air and it can concentrate in
Speaker 1: low areas or in enclosed spaces like a car or
Speaker 1: a room. Normal air is eight percent nitrogen oxygen and
Speaker 1: hardly any carbon dioxide at all. If the concentration of
Speaker 1: carbon dioxide in the air rises above five, carbon dioxide
Speaker 1: can become toxic. Be sure to ventilate any area that
Speaker 1: contains dry ice, and do not transport it in a
Speaker 1: closed vehicle. Be sure to check out our new video podcast,
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