Burn doctors are urging people not to participate in the ‘Boiling Water Challenge’ after eight participants were hospitalized after attempting the viral trend.
The ‘challenge’ of throwing boiling water into the air above your head emerged during the recent polar vortex, and as below freezing temperatures stuck around, so did the internet fad.
When successful, the result is an impressive Instagram video or Facebook post showing a perfect wave of powdery white vapor above the brave participant’s head. When caught by wind going the wrong direction however, the implications can be severe.
That lesson was learnt the hard way during a recent experiment in Chicago, which saw a family, a group of eight people ranging in age from just three to 53, hospitalized at Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center.
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“We strongly warn people to not perform the boiling water challenge. There is no safe way to do it,” said Loyola burn surgeon Dr Arthur Sanford to the Chicago Sun-Times.
So there you have it. Throwing boiling water over your head is a bad idea. Who knew?
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