Your Liquid Nitrogen Safety Resource Center

Safe Use of Liquid Nitrogen in Food & Beverage Service and Cryotherapy Environments

CGA Liquid Nitrogen Safety Poster

The use of liquid nitrogen (LIN) has grown in popularity for use in many end user applications, including food and beverage applications, cryotherapies, and creating cloud or smoky effects. Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold (–320 °F / –196 °C) and rapidly converts into nitrogen gas at room temperature. In recent years, there have been incidents that have resulted in serious injuries and deaths associated with the use of liquid nitrogen.

Anyone who handles liquid nitrogen should be aware of its unique properties and hazards. These include extremely cold temperature, potential to create an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, and rapid conversion from a liquid to a gas. Because of these and other considerations, it is very important that users read and follow the instructions for the equipment being used and safety precautions provided by their liquid nitrogen supplier.

These safety posters, provided by the Compressed Gas Association, provide basic safety information for the safe use of liquid nitrogen in food and beverage service environments and in cryotherapy. Download your free copies today!

To learn more about liquid nitrogen, see the section, “Product Information: Nitrogen” at the bottom of this page.

Liquid Nitrogen Safety Reminders

  • Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Never consume liquid nitrogen directly
  • Do not lower your head into a liquid nitrogen vapor cloud
  • Use liquid nitrogen in well-ventilated areas
  • Only use containers and equipment designed for cryogenic service
  • Never trap liquid nitrogen in a container, tubing, or piping
  • Read and understand safety information prior to using liquid nitrogen

Poster Downloads

CGA offers liquid nitrogen safety posters in multiple designs and formats as a free safety resource. It is important to note that these posters are not a substitute for reading and following codes and regulations, industry standards, equipment manufacturer, and supplier instructions. Download your free liquid nitrogen safety poster today!

NOTE – Use self-print files for printing at your home or office, and full bleed files for professional printing.

Additional Resources

Product Information: Nitrogen

Nitrogen makes up more than 75% of the atmosphere. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, almost totally inert gas, and it is colorless as a liquid. Nitrogen is nonflammable, will not support combustion, and is not life supporting. It combines with some of the more active metals such as lithium and magnesium to form nitrides, and at high temperatures it will also combine with hydrogen, oxygen, and other elements.

Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold (–320 °F / –196 °C) and can quickly burn or freeze body tissue. It rapidly turns into a gas and expands rapidly at room temperature. For example, one cubic foot of liquid can expand into 700 cubic feet of gas.