Why does dry ice burn you?

A really brief touch, like poking dry ice, just feels really cold. Holding dry ice in your hand, however, will give you severe frostbite, damaging your skin in much the same manner as a burn. You do not want to try to eat or swallow dry ice because the dry ice is so cold it can "burn" your mouth or esophagus. read more

A dry ice"burn" is not a thermal burn, but the destruction of the cells in contact with the dry ice through the freezing of the cells. The water in the cells freezes and the ice crystals so formed cut through the cell walls slicing them up. read more

The dry ice is carbon dioxide that has been frozen at -110 °F (-79 °C). That's why it hurts when you hold it too long, because your skin is starting to freeze from its cold. Freezing skin is a bad thing, so I recommend not letting dry ice ’burn’ you. read more

You do not want to try to eat or swallow dry ice because the dry ice is so cold it can"burn" your mouth or esophagus. If you handle dry ice and your skin gets a little red, treat the frostbite like you would treat a burn. read more