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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Other Sciences Question Forum => Topic started by: beebug on March 22, 2021, 11:13:40 PM

Title: VOCs in freezer (in garage)?
Post by: beebug on March 22, 2021, 11:13:40 PM
Maybe an odd question, but I’ll ask it just the same. For safety reasons...

Keeping a freezer in a garage... if one opens the door to take out food, put some in, etc...

Any car or solvent fumes in the garage (ex: benzene)...can it technically contaminate the food and make it “toxic?”

I ask because we put our toddlers muffins in the garage freezer and on a few occasions the lid of the plastic container we store them in has not been closed properly. The freezer works just fine though!

A little concerned about whether the food in there contains anything dangerous because of the freezer itself being in a garage. Maybe I should have thrown them out....:/ *anxiety building*

I’m just a mom, not a scientist. I have no clue about the properties of benzene or any other car exhaust/solvent VOC’s reaction to food in a frozen environment!

Thanks!
Title: Re: VOCs in freezer (in garage)?
Post by: beebug on March 25, 2021, 09:48:42 PM
Anyone?
Title: Re: VOCs in freezer (in garage)?
Post by: Borek on March 26, 2021, 04:25:44 AM
Way too many unknowns to answer or to give advice, especially taking into account possible litigations and so on. In general, and with every possible disclaimer about how this is not an advice and that you should seek professionals capable of assessing the individual situation correctly and not ask random forum users: in a typical setup (ie garage is well ventilated, not used to store commercial amounts of solvents/fuels/whatever car chemicals, freezer is opened just to put something in or take something out, and used for food only) I wouldn't care much.

But if it is going to make you feel better and safer design some kind of a procedural routine around taking things out/closing them and/or keeping them in sealed bags. It won't change much in terms of risk of contamination (which is already minute) but it will make you feel safer.