Consequences of the Salt and Ice Challenge
This “challenge” can produce mild irritation to severe burns
Leer en Español:Las consecuencias del reto “Sal y el Hielo”
In the past years, the Internet has created all kinds of challenges that have ended hurting people. The intention of it it’s to follow a trend in order to become “popular” by gaining likes and views.
The Salt and Ice challenge is not new; it became popular on the Internet back in 2010, but it made its way again to mainstream media and it’s leaving its mark on American and British youngsters.
The “challenge” consists in spreading salt over arms, legs, hands, or any other part of the body and then putting an ice cube over it. The contender must keep the ice on the area as long as possible in order to win. However, the chemical reaction of the ice and the salt provokes a significant reduction in temperature causing burns on the skin.
These burns can leave second and third degree injuries, which can cause skin deformities and in kids younger than 4-years-old it can be even more complicated and dangerous because their skin is delicate.
The Ice and Salt Challenge is just another Internet task that is causing severe problems in the people who ignore the consequences. The Hot Water Challenge (pouring hot water over yourself) has already left, at least, 1 dead, a 10-year-old girl in North Carolina, USA.
Experts call on parents, teachers, and school principals to keep an eye on kids and teenagers and talk to them about the consequences of these kind of trends.
Latin American Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández
Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto
