Beware! Dry ice!

[ben300win]

We just got back from a sucessful elk hunt. However we found out nearly the hard way that dry ice needs to be in a well vented area. We had went in a store for about 2 hours with the windows up in our rental SUV and when we got back into the car we had trouble breathing intantly. I thought I was having a heart attack immediatly. Just so happend that my buddy was experiencing the same thing too and he thought he was getting asfixiated. Our coolers were taped up all around the lip of the cooler and strapped shut. I posted this just to keep everyone aware of this. I feel as though it should be posted on all coolers that provide dry ice. This is the first elk I have shot that has ridden back with me in a SUV. All the other times it came in the back of a truck.

Good luck.

 

[greatbasin]

From what I have been told dry ice gives off carbon dioxide like car exaust, only odorless.

 

[BirdDogWebb]

You are very lucky, dry ice can be dangerous. "Dry ice doesn't melt. It goes directly from a solid to a gas. This can cause the surrounding air to become saturated with toxic levels of carbon dioxide." You can read more hear, http://www.ehow.com/facts_5336766_dangers-dry-ice.html

Congrats on your elk.

 

[arffdog875]

Dry ice is very dangerous! You are very lucky ! The safest place to store your coolers outside the RV, even if they are taped! Congrats on your elk!

 

[drthornton]

Dry Ice is frozen Carbon Dioxide. Too much CO2 could definitely cause asphyxiation.

I drove 13 hours back from SW Colorado with an Elk and about 30#s of dry ice in an un-taped cooler in the back of my SUV and didn't have a problem. I picked it up at a processor and it was already cold but not frozen. If your meat was not cold or frozen I bet the dry ice sublimation from the warm meat may have caused the excess CO2.

Good to know, Thanks

 

[Ridge Runner]

Wow that is good to know. I have carried it on planes before with no problem till 2 yrs ago when they asked me if I had dry ice in my cooler. I said yes and they wanted to charge me $250.00 more for a hazordous material. I told him I have done this for years before with no problems. Guess just got lucky. He said I could remove it and they would get rid of it so I opened the cooler and just removed the first 2 layers of it. Good to know though. Guess it would be ok in the back of a truck with the windows cracked in the camper.

 

[highmountian]

Thanks for posting, that is something everybody needs to know!

 

[Moosie]

...... You said "asphyxiation". hehehe

Good info !

 

[ben300win]

Thanks

I wanted to let everyone know so that they would be aware. I think we had the windows up for about 4 hours of the ride before we taped the cooler. All of the meat was hard frozen when we picked it up.

 

[ben300win]

I also heard of a plane accident where someone had dry ice on the plane and all of the passengers died either in the air or where the plane crashed when it ran out of fuel. I think the airlines will only allow up to 5 lbs of dry ice per cooler. That is what I had on mine when I picked it up.

 

[PJ0311]

I have carried it on planes before with no problem till 2 yrs ago when they asked me if I had dry ice in my cooler. I said yes and they wanted to charge me $250.00 more for a hazordous material

That's a bit steep. I work for Delta and to the best of my knowledge we don't charge for dry ice but it is treated as hazmat. FYI for those of you who fly into smaller airports for hunting/fishing trips - Delta will not allow dry ice to be placed in the same cargo bin as a live animal because the animal can die. My airport is a smaller regional airport and most of our aircraft only have one cargo bin so there could be an issue if another passenger is checking an animal. The live animal will usually take priority. The common exception is if the animal is being shipped as cargo (not traveling with passenger) - then it's first come first serve. If you have already checked in with dry ice and someone shows up to ship an animal the animal will be refused unless prior arrangements have already been made. In my experience most people shipping animals as cargo just show up and pay at the counter without prior arrangements so you can usually ensure your dry ice will make the flight by checking in early. Larger aircraft = more bins = no problems. If you see Canadair Regional Jet 200 on your itinerary there is only going to be one bin on the plane. Sorry, didn't mean to write a novel. If any of you have any airline questions relating to Delta just ask, if I don't know I can find out (can probably find answers relating to United, Horizon, Frontier as well)

 

[Devil Diver Down]

The live animal will usually take priority.

Even if the live animal is a cat?


Thanks to Ben for pointing this out--that would be a real turd to croak after croaking an elk.

 

[ben300win]

Thanks DDD. I am an elkaholic too. Problem is I have to drive 3 hours north to even see an elk. One of those look but no touch scenarios. It is awesome having elk back in the east but I cant wait till I can see them in my back yard. I am a committee memeber for our local chaper of RMEF so I hope my kids can see it in these parts once again.