“Don’t eat poison” is one of the first lessons we learn in life. Every little kid is told repeatedly not to consume anything they might find under the kitchen sink, because it’s very dangerous. That’s why the recent Tide Pod Challenge phenomenon has been so inexplicable and easy to make fun of. How can teenagers be stupid enough to eat laundry detergent? But this fantastic–yet frightening–new video exploring the horrifying science behind the damage those detergent packets can do to your body is no laughing matter, because consuming them can lead to a quick and terrible death.
This is the latest medical video from the YouTube channel Chubbyemu, and it explores the awful story of what happened to a young teenager earlier this month after he ate three laundry pods. We all know–or should–detergent is bad for us, but the real science of what it does to our esophagus and lungs is something out of a horror film. Because seeing the damage of caustic esophageal injury and liquefactive necrosis are scary than any monster, especially when they can lead to imminent respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.
They should show this video in every science class in America. Not only would it serve as the best kind of warning about why eating a laundry pod–which is far more concentrated than normal detergent–can cause major injury and death, it’s also a great anatomy lesson of how our body works to defend itself, and how the poison works to destroy it.
So yeah, it’s been easy to laugh at how stupid these kids have been, but the Tide Pod Challenge isn’t funny. The punishment for being dumb shouldn’t be death.
Did you know just how horrible the effects of eating laundry pods is on your body? What in this video surprised you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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Featured Image: Chubbyemu
