Originally Posted by
Liba
I would rather avoid security issues and carrying bags and bags of it around (it is heavy!), so is it okay for the IV saline to be put into checked luggage for a long haul international flight? Can I assume that it won't freeze or burst or anything?
If it gets lost it will be a pain, but not a major expense, to replace.
Thanks!!
Originally Posted by
tentseller
No experience with IV saline.
Baggage compartment on airplanes are not pressurized or climate controlled. It is very cold up at 30,000+ft with outside air temperature at -50 or colder.
My family had bags of potato chips and other snacks that bursted.
Cargo hold temp is not the same as the outside temperature. The range of temperatures that cargo hold can be maintained at depends on the aircraft design. Cargo hold temperature is maintained substantially above freezing. Saline water sill freeze at a lower tep than water, anyway. So temperature of cargo hold is not a concern
However, pressure most definitely is. HAve you seen what happens to empty/partial water bottles that were capped inflight, when the plane lands? They are crushed. The pressure inside the pax cabin is maintained at that corresponding to 10000 ft. S pressure in the cabin is 30% lower than that on the ground. Unless your saline soln is in containers, capable of tolerating the 30% reduction in pressure, they will bust, the saline water will not freeze though.
The kind of packaging used in potato chips and other snacks is obviously not designed to withstand the pressure difference. If your aline pouch is 3x6 in in size, the force on the packaging is about 170 lbs. If a 200 pound person can sit on the saline pouch without causing it to burst or leak, it should, most likely, be fine inflight too. Try it at home. If the pressure in cargo hold is maintained lower than that in the cabin, the force due to pressure difference would be larger. If the saline packaging is not designed to withstand the pressure difference at 10000 ft, in a typical flight, it would leak or burst regardless of whether it's in your checked baggage or cabin luggage.
You might want to call the manufacturer's tech support with the question.