At least eight people were hospitalized after attempting the “boiling water challenge” during last week’s polar vortex in Illinois, officials said.
Doctors in the Burn Center of Loyola University Medical Center’s treated patients ranging in age from 3 to 53 who suffered injuries related to the viral challenge, authorities told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Temperatures in parts of the U.S. plummeted during last week’s polar vortex. Some people contending with the subzero temperatures opted to film themselves participating in the so-called “boiling water challenge.”
Those participating in the challenge toss boiling water into the air, which is supposed to instantly freeze due to the extreme cold. But authorities said it is dangerous and called for a stop to the viral craze.
“We strongly warn people to not perform the boiling water challenge,” Loyola burn surgeon Dr. Arthur Sanford told the paper. “There is no safe way to do it.”
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