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The American Journal of Forensic... Dec 2022Deaths from gaseous substances can occur from exposure to toxic gases or from accumulation of nontoxic gases that displace oxygen. We present a 38-year-old man with no...
Deaths from gaseous substances can occur from exposure to toxic gases or from accumulation of nontoxic gases that displace oxygen. We present a 38-year-old man with no known medical history, who was found deceased in a small bathroom with blankets and towels shoved under the door from the inside.At autopsy, the decedent was found to be in a moderate state of decomposition. There was mild pulmonary congestion, with no other significant findings. Standard postmortem toxicology on femoral blood was noncontributory.A search of the decedent's cell phone revealed statements and internet searches regarding carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and asphyxia using dry ice. A journal entry also outlined a suicide plan using large amounts of dry ice, which was enacted by placing a laundry basket of dry ice into a bathtub containing water. Based on the investigation, the cause of death was determined to be asphyxia from displacement of oxygen with CO 2 .Dry ice sublimates into gaseous CO 2 , which quickly accumulates, with concentrations of 10% or more, rapidly becoming life-threatening. There are no pathognomonic autopsy findings seen in CO 2 -related asphyxia. In these circumstances, scene investigation is the most important factor in determining cause of death.
Topics: Humans; Male; Adult; Dry Ice; Asphyxia; Carbon Dioxide; Gases; Oxygen; Suicide
PubMed: 35642774
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000768 -
Forensic Toxicology 2023
Topics: Humans; Dry Ice; Carbon Dioxide; Ambulances; Preservation, Biological; Cadaver
PubMed: 36217319
DOI: 10.1007/s11419-022-00644-8 -
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and... Oct 2012Dry ice is a commercially available cryogen that is used worldwide. It may cause frostbite if misused. However, frostbite of the oral cavity due to dry ice has not been...
OBJECTIVES
Dry ice is a commercially available cryogen that is used worldwide. It may cause frostbite if misused. However, frostbite of the oral cavity due to dry ice has not been previously reported. Here, we describe the first case of dry ice-induced frostbite of the oral cavity.
METHODS
We present a case of oral frostbite due to dry ice and subsequent swelling of the submandibular area and lower lip. We discuss the clinical features of oral frostbite due to volatile substance abuse.
RESULTS
Oral frostbite not only may result in the impairment of the affected mucosae directly, but also may adversely affect the tissues in the vicinity of the oral cavity floor indirectly. Oral frostbite may cause edema of the upper airway tract. In case of severe pharyngolaryngeal edema, either tracheal intubation or tracheostomy is necessary. Steroids and antibiotics may be effective in preventing the development of pharyngolaryngeal edema.
CONCLUSIONS
It is important to bear in mind that volatile substance abuse may possibly induce unusual events. In particular, special attention should be paid to delayed unusual events.
Topics: Adult; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Dry Ice; Edema; Frostbite; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Mouth; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 23130543
DOI: 10.1177/000348941212101009 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Sep 2019The freezing process consists of dissipating heat from the product until the final temperature is lower than the temperature of crystallisation of that product. Freezing...
The freezing process consists of dissipating heat from the product until the final temperature is lower than the temperature of crystallisation of that product. Freezing can be used for numerous applications, including for disruption of waste-activated sludge (WAS). The aim of this study was to calculate the estimated amount of heat conveyed between the solidified carbon dioxide and the WAS, in the following ratios: 0.25:1; 0.5:1; 0.75:1 and 1:1. In heat of phase transformations, dry ice sublimation, water solidification, the amount of heat transferred by other substances and heat transferred from the sludge (dry sludge) were taken into account during the process of WAS freezing. Heat changes on the surface of WAS were registered using a thermovision camera. The effectiveness of WAS disintegration was confirmed by several biochemical parameters such as soluble chemical oxygen demand (increase over 14 times), degree of disintegration (48%), proteins (increase over 5 times), carbohydrates (increase almost 7 times), RNA (increase by 2.23 mg L), ammonia nitrogen (increase over 23 times), phosphates (increase almost 27 times) and turbidity (increased over 7 times). It was found that dry ice pretreatment of WAS can be an intriguing alternative for the conventional methods used.
Topics: Ammonia; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Dry Ice; Freezing; Models, Theoretical; Phase Transition; Sewage; Sublimation, Chemical; Transition Temperature; Waste Disposal, Fluid
PubMed: 31290045
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05889-2 -
Journal of Economic Entomology Feb 2019A comparative study was conducted to test the efficiency of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps baited with either dry ice or carbon dioxide... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
A Comparative Study of Mosquito and Sand Fly (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) Sampling Using Dry Ice and Chemically Generated Carbon Dioxide From Three Different Prototype CO2 Generators.
A comparative study was conducted to test the efficiency of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps baited with either dry ice or carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from one of three different sources in collecting mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Thailand. Treatments consisted of dry ice pellets, CO2 gas produced from one of three prototype CO2 generator systems (TDA, CUBE, Moustiq-Air Med-e-Cell - MEC), and a CDC light trap without a CO2 source. The best performing prototype from Thailand was then tested in collecting sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Greece. A total of 12,798 mosquitoes and 8,329 sand flies were sampled during the experimentation. The most prevalent mosquito species collected in Thailand were: Culex vishnui Theobald > Anopheles minimus Theobald > Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles > Anopheles sawadwongporni Rattanarithikul & Green. By far the most prevalent sand fly species collected in Thessaloniki was Phlebotomus perfiliewi Parrot followed by Phlebotomus tobbi Adler and Theodor and Phlebotomus simici Nitzulescu. In general, the TDA treatment was the only treatment with no significant difference from the dry ice-treatment in mean trap catches. Although dry ice-baited traps caught higher numbers of mosquitoes and sand flies than the TDA-baited traps, there was no difference in the number of species collected. Results indicate that the traps baited with the TDA CO2 generator were as attractive as traps supplied with dry ice and, therefore, the TDA CO2 generator is a suitable alternative to dry ice as a source of carbon dioxide for use with adult mosquito and sand fly traps.
Topics: Animals; Culicidae; Dry Ice; Female; Greece; Insect Control; Phlebotomus; Thailand
PubMed: 30321387
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toy319 -
The Nebraska State Medical Journal May 1948
Topics: Cryosurgery; Cryotherapy; Dry Ice; Humans; Hypothermia, Induced; Skin Diseases
PubMed: 18911368
DOI: No ID Found -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Mar 2022There is a high potential for coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) above the roof beams of supports during the mining-stopped period. Early detection of temperature...
There is a high potential for coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) above the roof beams of supports during the mining-stopped period. Early detection of temperature abnormal zones and corresponding measures are necessary to prevent CSC. In this work, a top-coal temperature measurement method was proposed, combining the coal surface temperature detection and the drilling temperature observation. Furthermore, an apparatus was developed that dramatically increases the rate of dry ice sublimation, resulting in the rapid release of cryogenic carbon dioxide gas. The device utilizes water from firefighting pipes in underground coal mines as a heat source for dry ice sublimation without electrical energy and has been applied and validated taking Silaogou Coal Mine in China as a field test site. Specifically, we found that during the stoppage period, the coal above the supports near the air inlet tunnel is more likely to appear hot spots; the carbon dioxide gas generated by the dry ice phase change device can quickly reduce the hot spots temperature, and the coal temperature does not rebound after the gas injection is stopped. Based on the above analysis, this work can effectively prevent the early top-coal spontaneous combustion during the stop mining period.
Topics: Coal; Coal Mining; Dry Ice; Fires; Spontaneous Combustion
PubMed: 34719762
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17213-y -
Biological Research For Nursing Jan 2018Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus, is associated with both critical physiological and psychological processes, particularly stress and... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus, is associated with both critical physiological and psychological processes, particularly stress and feelings of affiliation. Increasingly, researchers are seeking ways to reliably incorporate OT as an outcome biomarker in clinical research. Previously, OT levels were measured in plasma or urine. Recently, researchers have measured this biomarker in saliva, particularly when conducting research in clinical and community settings. In spite of increased interest in the use of salivary OT in clinical research, procedures for handling, transport, and analysis of specimens vary. It is not known if significant OT protein degradation occurs if samples are initially transported on wet ice before being frozen. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of transport media (wet vs. dry ice) on OT levels derived from saliva collected from 12 postpartum women residing in the community. Saliva collected from each participant was divided between two microcentrifuge tubes (MIDSCI, Valley Park, MO), one placed on wet ice and one on dry ice for transport from the participant's home to the laboratory freezer. Time from collection to storage freezer was recorded. Laboratory personnel, blinded to method of transport, batch processed the samples. No significant differences in OT levels were found by transport method. Despite large interperson variations in OT levels, there were negligible intraperson variations. Although further research is required to identify factors (including transport time) related to interperson variation, this study supports the use of wet ice as a means of transporting salivary OT specimens in community-based research.
Topics: Adult; Biomarkers; Dry Ice; Female; Humans; Ice; Oxytocin; Postpartum Period; Saliva; Specimen Handling
PubMed: 29017335
DOI: 10.1177/1099800417735632 -
Food Science and Technology... Oct 2012Microbiological quality of cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) fillets stored in three different ice conditions was studied. Fillets stored in wet ice at a ratio of 1:1... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Microbiological quality of cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) fillets stored in three different ice conditions was studied. Fillets stored in wet ice at a ratio of 1:1 (package III) were sensorially acceptable for only 18 h, while that stored in dry ice at 1:1 (package I) and combination of dry ice and wet ice at 1:0.2:0.5 (package II) were in acceptable condition up to 24 h without re-icing and thus there was an extension of shelf life by about 33%. Total bacterial load was 7 log₁₀ cfu/g at the end of the storage period. Total psychrophilic population increased from zero to 7 log₁₀ cfu/g while total lactic acid bacteria from zero to 5 log₁₀ cfu/g. H₂S producers were detected only at 18 h, with a count of 1 log₁₀ cfu/g. Sulphite-reducing Clostridia increased gradually from zero to 110 most probable number count/g. Fresh cuttlefish fillets carried a bacterial flora of Micrococcus, Planococcus, Streptococcus, Moraxella, Proteus and Aeromonas. Pseudomonas was dominant in wet ice pack, while Aeromonas was dominant in both the dry ice and combination pack. Immediately after packing, the temperatures recorded in packages I, II and III were 10.5, 1.2 and 3.0 °C, respectively, which drastically decreased in 1 h and then maintained and finally increased gradually. The results indicate that use of combination of dry ice and wet ice is economical and very much useful to seafood industries, as this package considerably reduced the cost of air freight, as well as improved the quality and shelf life of cuttlefish.
Topics: Animals; Chemical Phenomena; Colony Count, Microbial; Dry Ice; Food Packaging; Food Preservation; Food Quality; Food Storage; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Humans; Hydrogen Sulfide; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ice; India; Mechanical Phenomena; Odorants; Seafood; Sensation; Sepia
PubMed: 22414930
DOI: 10.1177/1082013211433069 -
Talanta Jan 2005Packed in a high-pressure vessel and under calculated conditions, dry ice can be used as a source of carbon dioxide for supercritical CO(2) extraction or liquid CO(2) of...
Packed in a high-pressure vessel and under calculated conditions, dry ice can be used as a source of carbon dioxide for supercritical CO(2) extraction or liquid CO(2) of organic compounds from environmental samples. Coupled with a fluid modifier such as toluene, dry ice-originated supercritical CO(2) (Sc CO(2)) achieves quantitative extraction of many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), n-alkanes, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from solid matrices. Compared to contemporary manual or automated supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technologies, this novel technique simplifies SFE to a minimum requirement by eliminating the need of a high-pressure pump and any electrical peripherals associated with it. This technique is highly suitable to analytical areas where sample preservation is essential but difficult in the sampling field, or where sample collection, sample preparation, and analysis are to be done in the field.
PubMed: 18969777
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2004.05.049