We have seen the Tide Pod Challenge, in which participants ingested laundry detergent pods on camera. We have seen, more recently, the Bird Box Challenge, in which participants blindfolded themselves like Sandra Bullock’s character in the popular Netflix thriller. What is the new hotness in juvenile, potentially harmful internet trends?
Subzero temperatures due to the recent polar vortex inspired a slew of wannabe internet celebrities to fill a container full of boiling hot water and throw it up in the air to watch the contents instantly turn into ice right before their eyes. Unfortunately, not everyone who has participated in the Boiling Water Challenge has been so lucky.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Loyola Burn Center in Illinois treated eight people all suffering from injuries related to the Boiling Water Challenge. Patients, who ranged in age from 3 to 53, had burns of varying degrees on their feet, arms, hands, and face.
They did not seem to consider the possibility of a gust of wind blowing the boiling water back onto them as they launched it into the air or witnesses of their stunt getting hit with scolding liquid either.
“We strongly warn people to not perform the boiling water challenge,” Dr. Arthur Sanford, a surgeon from the Loyola Burn Center, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There is no safe way to do it.”
What do you think? Do you hope that medical professionals advice (or, if not, rising temperatures) can help stop this idiotic trend, or do you have a water-filled pot heating up on the stove right now? Let us know in the comments below!