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Remember the cinnamon challenge or the ever-popular rub-alcohol-and-set-yourself-on-fire challenge? Well, brace yourselves, because yet another Darwin-worthy award is about to make headlines. Reportedly, the new Tide pods challenge trend is sending people to the emergency room or, in their case, to the washing machine complaints department.
What Exactly is the Tide Pods Challenge?
It’s exactly what it sounds like – biting, chewing or ingesting pods of liquid detergent just because someone dared you to do so. How does it work? Obviously, the idea is to gulp those little wonders without having to end up in the ER for plumbing maintenance.
Reportedly, this challenge can take all manner of forms from biting the capsule until the liquid soap comes out, to chewing, ingesting, and yes, even snort it. In the most fortunate cases, the experience sends the ‘challengee’ on a bathroom merry-go-round, but others are not so fortunate.
According to the official numbers, approximately 10,000 children, age 5, have been rushed to the emergency room after ingesting Tide Pods. This year, only 37 teenage cases were registered so far. The consequences of eating Tide pods can be extreme, including death.
The same records indicated that since 2012, approximately eight children have died after ingesting liquid detergent pods.
Perhaps this is just stating the obvious, but it’s not really a great idea to eat liquid detergent, given the fact that they are highly toxic. Chucking on these tiny wonders can irreparably damage your stomach and can cause severe burns to the esophagus.
Conclusion
Moreover, snorting Tide pods can result in severe asthma attacks and other respiratory issues. The inevitable conclusion is that this too shall pass, like any other fad, and a tiny moment of glory is not worth getting shipped to the emergency room to have your stomach pumped.
Image source: Flickr
