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"Do a non-terrible job boxing it up and it won't get out in any form other than as a gas." It sounds like you're assuming dry ice is only dangerous in terms of
by throwaway09223 5y ago
"Do a non-terrible job boxing it up and it won't get out in any form other than as a gas."
It sounds like you're assuming dry ice is only dangerous in terms of cold burns.
The gas, carbon dioxide, is dangerous as well. People have died transporting dry ice in a vehicle. CO2 isn't the most dangerous gas, but in an enclosed space like a delivery vehicle it can cause problems. A delivery service needs to consider the cumulative effects of all packages. Your dry ice package may not be the only one in a vehicle.
Individuals without experience are generally not capable of doing a thorough risk assessment, which is why regulations are so important.
- dylan604 5y agoNot disputing the dangers of CO2 in an enclosed space, but I'm going through my memory* of USPS/UPS delivery trucks, and not one of them have been enclosed. Sliding doors are always open. Semi-trucks are enclosed, yes, but humans are not in the enclosed areas. *ymmv on your area
- floatingatoll 5y agoThere’s also air, sea, and rail transport to consider.
- dylan604 5y agoAgain though, how many people are hanging out with the cargo in air/sea/rail transport?
- ytpete 5y agoDoes someone crawl into the cargo compartment to unload it the moment its door is opened? If that person got caught in a CO2 pool they could plausibly fall unconscious & at least start suffocating before coworkers noticed they were absent for too long.
- nradov 5y agoDomestic air cargo flights typically have 2-3 crew members on board. They're inside the same pressure hull as the cargo; there's no barrier or filter. That's why dry ice must be declared and requires special handing for air transport. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faa-issues-dry-ice-alert-to-airlines-carrying-vaccine https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faa-issues-dry-ice-alert-t...
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- tillinghast 5y agoMy son flies cargo for FedEx in a smallish (Cessna Caravan) regional plane. It's pretty enclosed.
- dylan604 5y ago*ymmv applies here
- floatingatoll 5y agoAs seen elsethread, there is one single model of plane in the entire air cargo freight industry that's able to protect the humans onboard from the atmospheric exposure risks of dry ice, so technically that's still YMMV, but realistically it's not, and thus the FAA warning last December. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dry-ice-the-russian-an-124-freighters-covid-vaccine-advantage https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dry-ice-the-russian-an-124...
- throwaway09223 5y agoI'm sure driving with the doors open in many delivery trucks helps as well, but I'm just as sure there are vehicle configurations where air is circulated between both areas and/or share an enclosed space. Keep in mind, this is also an aviation concern as well as loading/unloading. Resting in the backs of trucks on break, etc.