Ice Packs for Dummies

resuable gel hot and cold ice pack

Not only are most of the daily dumbasses featured here at the Antisocial Network simply unqualified to address their topics, many of them did so anyway at a website that performed as an enabler. Because of the site's stringent word-count and format demands and exacerbated by clueless content editors, many articles posted at eHow.com didn't merely fail to inform they readers, sometimes hey did so spectacularly. Today's DotD is a possible example: English BA Susan Diranian trying to tell her readers about "Gel Ice Pack Ingredients."¹

If you googled the title of the article, you'd quickly learn that reusable gel ice packs are mostly water with some chemicals added to give the water ice a gel-like consistency; typically hydroxyethyl cellulose or silica gel. Some contain propylene glycol. Instant ice packs contain water and ammonium nitrate. If you're concerned that the ingredients may be toxic, you can also learn that some early reusable versions contained ethylene glycol; these were recalled by the CPS.

...but this is eHow, where word count and format take a back seat to information and accuracy. According to Diranian,

"Gel ice packs, found in convenience stores as well as first aid kits, make treating an injury away from home quick and simple. Gel ice packs are also leak-proof, non-toxic and can be placed back in the freezer for reuse."

...we certainly hope they're found in more places than convenience stores and first-aid kits. We also note that instant ice packs cannot be placed in the freezer for reuse; they're disposable items. Whatever the case, Susan's discussion of the ingredients leaves out a critical fact:

"The non-toxic gel usually consists of propylene glycol, hydroxyethyl cellulose or vinyl-coated silica gel, a thickener and non-toxic blue coloring..." We think she left something out: the ice pack contents are mostly water because – and this is the part we assume made both Diranian's and the content editor's eyes glaze over – water has a surprisingly high specific heat. Ahhh, the wonders of a liberal arts education that avoided science classes... Diranian goes on to say that

"Unlike a bag of ice or chemical ice pack, both which are only good for a few hours, gel ice packs are reusable."

Which sounds good but in reality makes no sense (unless perhaps by "chemical ice pack" she means instant ice pack, but who knows?). Once she's done with that, however, Susan goes on to expound for a couple hundred words on how to use an ice pack (off-topic, yes?). Although she suggests using a gel pack to "prevent refrigerated items, such as yogurt and juices, from quickly spoiling," safety mavens warn that the resuable packs sold for cold therapy contain ingredients that are not safe for exposure to food... hence the tag of "dangerous stupidity."

So why is Diranian our Dumbass of the Day? For getting the answer wrong, for stupid mistakes, for dangerous stupidity, and for putting more effort into tangential information than into the real answer. Typical eHow freelancer...

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was    ehow.com/info_8277346_gel-ice-pack-ingredients.html

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