The Tide Pod Challenge
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Despite the fact that 2018 has barely started, we can safely say that the internet trend of the year has thus far been the Tide Pod Challenge. The concept of the challenge is quite simple: to film oneself eating a capsule filled with detergent.
Indeed, these colourful jelly-like capsules have become the new fad and countless videos of individual challenges are spreading across social media like wildfire. Whilst there have been previous warnings against this - even warning parents to store capsules well away from their children in commercial adverts - it seems that the extent of danger is being ignored.
One YouTuber by the name of Chubbyemu felt it was necessary to educate the public on just how much consuming a Tide Pod ravages the human body in a video. He recounts the story of a young person – J.R. – who attempted to eat three capsules at once. Consuming one pod, let alone three, will burn the nose, numb the tongue, and coat the throat in the poisonous liquid. The video demonstrates how, little by little, the detergent will find its way into the lungs and spoil internal organs, which can cause enormous amounts of damage if not death.
A single pod of detergent, which contains bleach, consists of surfactants which work to break down components of waste by means of attaching themselves to water and grease. These long-chain molecules then form "supermolecules" as they dissolve in water. Whilst that is good news for our laundry, it isn't quite so when it comes to our bodies. In fact, water and fat are a large component of what makes up our anatomy - including our mouths and digestive systems. This means that consuming anything that strips away these natural contents in our digestive system can lead to catastrophic consequences, and can cause pain and discomfort at best, including vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, and diarrhoea. Side effects can also include formation and vomiting of large amounts of foam, which can cause severe respiratory problems.
Other recorded cases have led to "depression of the central nervous system", in other words increasing the risk of unconsciousness as the result of consumption. And if that isn't bad enough, if the detergent makes its way into the eye (in cases where the pod splashes as the indivual takes a bite), it can lead to permanent damage of the cornea - meaning complete loss of sight.
If you or anyone you know has consumed a tide pod and is experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
