From Tide Pods To Borax: Dangerous Online Challenges
Remember the “Tide Pod Challenge?” Well, now there’s a brand new laundry-themed dietary challenge – which could literally kill you. Borax!
Who doesn’t love the online challenges? The ice bucket challenge was one of the biggest, and raised millions of dollars for ALS research . Some others were just plain fun.
The Fun Online Challenges And Trends:
The Bottle-Flipping Challenge: Partly fill a plastic water bottle and toss it in such a way that it lands right-side up. The Mannequin Challenge: A group of people pose, and freeze in place, and someone with a camera walks around recording the scene while music plays. Even celebrities got in on this one, including Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, and Adele.
All of the above were relatively harmful. But now there’s a new trend online where people are supposedly consuming BORAX, for health benefits. But it’s a poisonous compound, which will make you sick in small doses, and it can KILL YOU in larger amounts.
The New Online Trends:
People are posting videos claiming that they are consuming Borax, which is used as a laundry additive, a pesticide, a household cleanser, an herbicide, and to unclog drains.
It’s unclear exactly WHY people are doing this, but apparently, there are some “alternative medicine” claims about the benefits of the element boron, which can be found in certain foods. There are claims it could fight conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis, but nowhere does science support this!
Borax contains boron, but the product itself is a very poisonous compound. If accidentally or intentionally swallowed, it causes nausea, vomiting, and stomach irritation. Severe skin rashes can also occur.
Regularly consuming Borax in small doses can lead to anemia, tremors, seizures, male reproductive issues, and kidney problems – and larger doses are LETHAL.
What To Do If You Ingest Borax(???):
If you consume ANY amount of borax, call poison control immediately. This is not something you want to mess around with – even if you are a complete idiot. And if you ARE a complete idiot – I can’t help you! But at least you admit it.
We have more on this in today’s edition of a “Few Things You Should Know.”
