Regardless of how it is created, fog and haze are not allowed in residence halls because:
- The Massachusetts Fire Prevention Regulation 527 CMR 1.06 prohibits “the use of any machine, device or chemical to create fog, foam or a haze-like visual effect, which could become an obstacle to ingress or egress from any place of assembly.”
- It can obscure the visibility of exit signs/doors, and also obscure visibility that is needed for security.
- It can set off smoke detectors (MIT does not shut down smoke detectors or any other part of the fire alarm system for events).
- Studies show that exposure to fog and haze irritates the eyes, nose, respiratory tract, and voice, and therefore, this is not appropriate to use in a shared space.
This applies to dry ice and liquid nitrogen, which can be used to create fog as well as fog/haze machines, which use chemical solutions.
Liquid Nitrogen and/or dry ice are allowed to be used outdoors (i.e., LN2 ice cream events) pending safety plan approval.