Doctors have issued warnings about the dangers of eating tide pods. Now they may have to tell people to beware of the “Hot Coil Challenge.”
It involves folks pressing their bare skin on the red hot coils of their stovetops for as long as they can. They then put the proof on YouTube.
One clip of a man burning his forearm has been viewed more than 400,000 times since it was posted in February. In the 20-second upload, he screams loudly when his skin meets the hot surface for about two seconds. He then shows the lens his new, large brown scar, and the cameraman replies, "That was pretty cool."
The video-sharing service has attempted to put a stop to the bizarre dare, which seems to have first garnered attention at the top of 2018, by removing many of the posts. Its guidelines also prohibit content that encourages dangerous acts that could cause harm.
A burn can penetrate all layers of the skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can leave it charred with white, black or brown patches. Symptoms of severe cases can include persistent pain and redness, swelling, fever, blisters that are larger than two inches or that ooze. Doctors may treat burns with bandages, antibiotics or even tetanus shots.
The American Burn Association estimated 486,000 burn victims required medical treatment in 2016. About 40,000 required hospitalizations the same year.
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While organizations, aside from YouTube, have not responded to the latest fad or released any data related to it, many on Twitter are urging others not to participate and expressing their thoughts on the challenge.
