5 tips to keep your kids safe when using dry ice this Halloween

The dry ice is the hit of a Halloween festival starting with the drinks to the decorations. It is the secret element behind that spooky fog you see at Halloween. It may be billowing from a spooky pumpkin, cauldron of punch, or creating a generally creepy atmosphere going its way through your Halloween display.

Don’t think dry ice is witchcraft or some magic powers. Dry ice is a frozen carbon dioxide block with a very low temperature -109o F (-78.5o C) to be exact. Once the dry ice is exposed to heat, let say room temperature it melts to carbon dioxide gas directly.

As we approach the Halloween celebration parents should talk to their children about safety when handling dry ice. In most cases when children see the smoke of dry ice sublimating in a bubbling cauldron. They are tempted to touch it. Touching the smoke is safe but they should never touch the dry ice directly. The dry ice should not come to contact with the mouth, eyes, and skin because it causes severe burns similar to fire.

Here are tips to keep your kids safe when using ice this Halloween.

1 Wear protective clothes and use the right apparatus to handle dry ice.

Do not allow your kids to handle dry ice with bare hands. When dry ice comes into contact with the skin causes severe frostbite-skin cell freezes and becomes damaged very fast.

• Before handling dry ice wear long sleeves (shirts, jackets, and pullovers) and long pants. Also, ensure your kid wears closed-toed shoes.

• Let your kid wear loose-fitting and thermally insulated gloves when handling dry ice manually. Remember that nitrile exam gloves may not fully protect your kid.

• If your kid has a block of dry ice and needs to break it into small pieces, it’s safe to use a chisel and a mallet. When chiseling let your kid wear goggles to prevent ships from flying into her eyes

• Use metal when transferring chunks of dry ice to another place. Metal tongs with serrated edges are the best.

2 Ensure the area is well ventilated

Any temperature above -109 °F, the dry ice will sublime-melt from solid to gas. The gas released is carbon monoxide which displaces oxygen quickly in the air. This leads to difficulty in breathing, loss of consciousness, and finally death.

• If your kid is working inside a room, ensure there is good ventilation (open windows and doors) to prevent dangerous carbon monoxide from building up

• In case you observe these symptoms, headache, and dizziness, and increased heart rate. They are a result of excess inhalation of carbon monoxide. There is a need to act accordingly-seek medical intervention.

3 Proper storage

As you prepare for the forthcoming Halloween festival it’s good to get the dry ice that day you intend to use it. Dry ice is always sublimating, the sooner you use it the better. Better insulation will lead to a low sublimation rate and the more the quality product will be maintained. As you wait to use it, ensure the following,

• Keep the dry ice out of reach of kids when you are not around.

• When the dry ice is not in use keep the container lid closed to avoid children touching it.

• You should not subject the dry gas to high ambient temperatures unnecessarily because this increases the rate of sublimation.

• You should not store dry ice in an airtight container. The dry ice melts, and build-up gas which causes the container to explode. This may lead to injuries to your kids and relatives.

4 use small pieces of dry ice into beverages.

Dry ice smoke in a beverage at your Halloween party always brings a cool effect. Although it is very dangerous if eaten. It causes internal injuries in the body-can damage the throat. I recommend children not to put dry ice in drinks and if they have to, a guardian should supervise and ensure the following,

• Before serving your drink ensure that the dry ice is completely sublimated.

• When using frozen carbon dioxide in the punch add the dry ice pieces to a big bowl and put the punch bowl within that. This way, no one can drink the dry ice accidentally, not even a kid.

5 Disposing of the leftovers of the dry ice

Now after you are through using the dry ice. As the parent, it’s your responsibility to ensure the leftovers are safely disposed of and are not left in the hand of the children. Let any remains of frozen dry ice sublimate into gas in a well-ventilated space. You can add warm water to quicken the process.

You should avoid the following as you dispose of the dry ice

• Ensure your kids don’t dump dry ice in the sink's drain or toilets they may end damaging the pipes.

• Avoid disposing of dry ice in the trash

Final word

It is the responsibility of the guardian to protect their kids. Not only during Halloween festivals but at all times. When it comes to celebrations of Halloween ceremony children should not be left to play with dry ice unsupervised. Dry ice should never be handled with bare hands, always wear gloves. If the dry ice is placed into an airtight container, for example, a soda bottle, the internal pressure will cause the bottle to bust through the air. Which is dangerous.

If you have no idea how to use dry ice, it’s always good to seek guidance from a professional in that field. As you prepare to celebrate the Halloween festival I hope now you are informed on how to take care of your kid.