Effects of dry ice causing a fatal accident? - need help 6

[ADT123]

I am currently investigating a fatal car accident which in which a person was carrying dry ice in an enclosed van. It has been many years since i studied this stuff and having found a similar issue on your forum I thought some the members expert knowledge may be able to assist me.

This is what we know:
Quanity of dry ice was 150Kg
Enclosed van had a volume of 3.72m3
Outside air temp was 27.8.C
Humidity 33%
Time lapsed 25 minutes

It was also worth noting that the dry ice was not stored in an insulated container rather cardboard function boxes.

The Dry ice was stored in 10 cardboard boxes 5 blocks of 3kg each each box.

I understand that dry ice sublimes at a rate of 8-10 pounds in 24 hours, but i have been told this is based on the dry ice being in insulated boxes.

Can anyone give me an indication, and show me how they worked it out, what the Oxygen levels would have been in the van at the 25 minute mark?
Thanks.

 

[ADT123]

Thanks Chicopee
Since CO2 is a naturally forming by product of our body testing post mortum was inconclusive.

Thanks again to everyone who responded to this question

 

[Easel]

I think most of the respondants have chased the wrong issue. The TWA for CO2 is 5000 ppm or 0.5%. As CO2 concentration increase to about 1%, there is a respratory response. When the lungs sense too much CO2 breathing becomes more rapid. (CO2 is often spiked into Oxygen cylinders to increase breating in respratory therapy.)

In an enclosed environment one of two things can happen at relatively low concentrations. 1) the victim could have hyperventilated and passed out or 2) Gone to sleep. Death could have come later from asphyixiation.

Having worked in Food Applications for an Industrial Gas Company, there are safety issues with the use of liquid CO2 and cryogenic nitrogen. The key issue was that with excessive CO2 in the work space, people had a respratory response and would know when they were in trouble. With Nitrogen, there is no response and people could pass out without knowing they were in trouble.

This is not a good situation for anybody involved.

Good Luck