What happens if you eat dry ice

Five people began spitting blood after eating mouth freshener at a restaurant in Gurugram. On March 2, a party of diners were hospitalised after they started bleeding from their mouths.

The police later revealed that the customers had consumed ‘dry ice’ in place of mouth freshener, sold by the Gurugram restaurant.

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), dry ice is categorised as a lethal substance.

WHAT IS DRY ICE?

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that makes up a small percentage of Earth’s atmosphere. It is called “dry ice” because it undergoes sublimation, a process where it transitions directly from a solid to a gas without passing through the liquid state.

Its temperature is about -78.5 degrees Celsius. Its freezing point is much lower than that of regular ice.

Since it releases a white fog of carbon dioxide, it is used for special effects in stage productions, due to its low temperature, it is used in preserving perishable foods, and used in the process of cleaning. Some beverage companies use dry ice to carbonate their drinks for the fizzy effect.

While dry ice has various practical applications, direct contact with bare skin can cause frostbite or cold burns. It needs to be stored and used in well-ventilated areas to prevent the build-up of carbon dioxide gas, which can displace oxygen in enclosed spaces.