Why Dry Ice and Cryogenic Temperature Monitoring Matter – To All of Us
Dry ice and cryogenic temperature monitoring can make a life-or-death difference. Learn how these processes work and why they matter.
Key Takeaways:
- Dry ice monitors and cryogenic loggers are the cornerstones of several industries
- They are used to ensure product quality and human health are not compromised
- Temperature logging devices are necessary to ensure dry ice and cryogenics are performing stably during transit and storage
- These devices must be robust and reliable at extreme temperatures to deliver usable data
Dry ice is fast approaching a century of service in a wide range of industries. First made commercially available in 1925, dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form. It doesn’t melt like regular ice but instead converts to vapor. It has become an invaluable tool in several industries, and you’ll find it propping up food and agriculture companies or protecting pharmaceuticals in the medical and life science sectors.
Dry ice keeps delicate products in the perfect temperature zone and, by doing so, preserves the well-being of consumers and safeguards a company’s reputation and profits. Cryogenic temperatures perform the same functions, except much further down the thermometer!
Both methods are more vital than ever as the world continues to grapple with COVID-19. Read our guide to learn more and discover where to find the very best cryogenic and dry ice monitors.
The necessity of dry ice and cryogenic temperature monitoring explained
The average temperature of dry ice is around –109° F, which is roughly (–78.3° Celsius). This makes dry ice the perfect solution to preserve a container’s contents in transit or storage.
Cryogenic shipping and storage are a different story, dipping even further into the ultra-cold category where temperatures can plummet to –130° Fahrenheit (–90° Celsius) and possibly even lower, down to –238° Fahrenheit (–150° Celsius) or –346° Fahrenheit (–210° Celsius)!
Dry ice and cryogenic temperature monitoring devices, accurate even at these extremes, are essential to the safety of products and biologics and, in some instances, human survival.
Temperature excursions can ruin food and endanger human health by allowing harmful bacteria to multiply. A difference of even a single degree can reduce a vaccine’s efficacy or render it entirely useless.
Organizations including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF have stressed that the provision and constant monitoring of sub-zero storage are vital parts of the global cold chain.
The CDC’s “Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit” and this joint report underscore that temperature monitors do much more than log numbers. They can provide crucial data that can be shared among stakeholders to minimize or eliminate supply chain risks and better prevent future temperature excursions.
Why temperatures monitors must be tough
Monitoring dry ice and especially cryogenic environments can be demanding on equipment and potentially dangerous for humans. Even the briefest contact with cryogenic material can cause tissue damage, while CO2 exposure can cause many issues, from headaches to asphyxiation.
Stakeholders and staff, therefore, require digital data loggers (DDLs) that can continuously measure and provide temperature details without malfunctioning or risking user safety. Not every cryogenic or dry ice monitor is rigorously tested, calibrated, and certified to ensure it’s up to the task.
This is where Marathon Products bring decades of experience to the table. Our units can operate reliably in the most extreme conditions gathering critical information while protecting products and people in the process.
Dry ice and cryogenic temperature monitors from Marathon Products
We supply single-use and multiple-use dry ice and cryogenic temperature loggers that are fully tested and calibrated to provide reliable, actionable data. Our DDLs have easy-to-read LCD displays, and our 21CFR FDA-compliant software delivers comprehensive temperature information including time-stamped documentation and clear, visual data.
Your product’s cold chain journey is always transparent when our technology is involved. Here are a few of Marathon’s precision monitoring devices designed for cryogenic and dry ice data logging:
- The EDL-4S
The EDL-4S is a low-cost model that is CE and NIST-certified and designed to monitor carbon dioxide levels using an infrared sensor sensitive across a range of 0 to 30,000 parts per million (PPM). The EDL- 4S is only one of our many temperate logging options.
- The EDL-CO2
Our EDL-CO2 dry ice logger was recently ranked #1 by one of Japan’s most respected names, Shinkawa Electric Company. Simply place it in direct contact with dry ice and this revolutionary, multi-use programmable unit will operate reliably and supply statistical analysis while generating shareable reports in six languages.
- The 3C\TEMP-USB-200C NFC Enabled Temperature Logger
This digital unit is suitable for cryogenic applications and is near field communication-enabled, allowing short-range wireless connection. You can set parameters for excursion alarms, choose sampling intervals, and more while the unit’s measurement probe gathers temperature data without compromising user safety.
- The edl Cloud RTD/LN2 Temperature Logger
This unit provides wireless electronic temperature monitoring that’s resistant down to –200° degrees centigrade. Ideal for cryogenic applications, this logger is designed solely for stationary storage of all sizes ranging from refrigerators to warehouses.
Cloud storage means temperature data and on-demand mapping information will always be backed up and readily available. This unit is one of six in our cryogenic logger range.
These four units represent only a small selection of our overall DDL solutions. We also supply cryogenic shipping and storage and COVID-validated packaging allowing you to combine the highest quality containers with our state-of-the-art temperature loggers.
Contact the experts
Marathon Products helps multiple industries stay connected to their delicate shipments throughout the cold chain. Our cryogenic and dry ice monitors are 21CFR compliant, which means our customers can easily meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s requirements for electronic record keeping.
We have over 30 years of industry experience and serve clients in multiple sectors ranging from Fortune 500 companies and governmental agencies to small and medium-sized businesses. Contact us at web-inquiry@marathonproducts.com or call 510-562-6450 for more information!