Beware! Dry ice

We had a successful hunt in Colorado last week. We packaged 5 lbs of dry ice in the coolers in the back of a rental SUV and drove about 4 hours to our hotel. No problems so far. We taped the coolers shut and strapped them for the flight and then went to have supper with a friend at about 6:30. We ate then went to the Cabelas in Grand Juction until 9:00. When we got back to the car we got in and started to drive back over to the cabelas to pick a buddy up. In about 60 seconds we were gasping for air. I thought I was having a heart attack and nearly called 911. Luckily my buddy that was in the car said he thought he was being asyfixiated and we immediatly rolled down the windows and felt better. Had we not rolled down the windows I feel we would have passed out in a matter of seconds. I had already started getting light headed in about 120 seconds. The Dry Ice is made up of Carbon Dioxide and will take over the oxygen in a closed area real quick. I am glad we did not take the coolers in the motel room. We might not have made it. I am stating this to make everyone aware of the dangers of DRY ICE. Good luck and happy hunting.

That's nice to know.
Glad ya'll are OK.

Oh man! Glad y'all are o.k. Thanks for the intell.

dang. that would be a heck of a way to go.

glad you're ok


T

Thanks folks. Talk about the elk getting even with us. LOL

WOW!! Cant beleive there is not some kind of Sourgeon Generals Warning on it..........Glad you guys are OK!!

Congrats on the Harvest TOO!!

I get dry ice pretty regularly from Publix for some tests that I run. I'm pretty sure the bag has labels on the bag that state something to that effect.

The problem is that the airlines will only allow like 5lbs of dry ice. Without being able to handle it at the processsors place since you have to wear gloves they only get 10lb chuncks. They had to break it in half and put it directly in the cooler without the bag. I think it should say something on the outside of the freezer that it comes in, in big bold letters.

Federal Regs require any container used to ship by airline with dry ice be capable of venting as it is constantly venting CO2. The normal flow of air vents it overboard in an aircraft, not good in a sealed car or camper. Glad you folks figured it out and all is well.

If you want to use more dry ice in your shipments send it as express freight where the limits are different. You'll also pay for it as a hazmat shipment once it exceeds passenger luggage quantities though. That is another clue to this hazard.

Again glad your ok!

Besides suffocation consider this:

Imagine a small cooler in a dark SUV's rear on the bottom of a pile of gear in the summer sun... The "Ice" has gone to gas and the cooler's plastic is a little soft due to the heat. And now the race is on between cooler failure and someone getting unloaded upon when the stuff on top is pulled.

Like an enourmous air gun going off. 5lbs must make a heck of a lot of vapor, sure it gets to fill a cooler's volume before the pressure starts to build but wow once it did go!