Doctors warn against a food trend inspired by the popular Netflix film “Kpop Demon Hunters” which leads to serious injuries to burns.
The trend implies that children and adolescents imitate a scene from the successful streaming film by eating hot instant noodles, but doctors say that it has become dangerous.
Injuries come from both the temperature of noodles and reversed hot water, said Dr. Colleen Ryan, specialist in Burn Care care at Shriners Children’s Boston and the Harvard Medical School surgery in CBS News.
“Most of the time, it is when children open the microwave themselves. The microwave is generally high, and they are reaching and it is a little too hot for them,” she said, adding that the clinic has seen two to three cases of burning per week of the trend.
Not only is a burn painful, but they can leave a scar for life and cause emotional distress, said Ryan.
The American Burn Association indicates that a burning injury for adults can occur after contact with 155 degrees of water for a second, but the skin of children is thinner, which facilitates burn. A recent study by the University of Chicago revealed that 31% of children’s exhaust admissions were caused by instant noodles.
Ryan said first aid after the burned was important.
“20 minutes of fresh water,” she advised. “So you have to call for help.”
Ryan added that she saw a wide range of ages among children who come with noodle burns. Regarding these viral trends, research shows that the most impressionable age group is 8 to 10 years.