What to Know
- Eight people were hospitalized after throwing boiling water into the air, which they hoped would rapidly turn into water vapor.
- "There is no safe way to do it," one Loyola doctor said.
The extreme cold last week activated the science experiment gene in a number of people, resulting in injuries for those who tried the "boiling water challenge."
The challenge was to fling boiling water in the air and watch it turn into frozen vapor.
The burn center at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood reports it treated eight people who attempted the exercise.
Hospital spokesman Jim Ritter says the patients treated range in age from three to 53 years.
Gorgeous Photos of Nature Covered in Ice in Chicago Area
Loyola burn surgeon Dr. Arthur Sanford warns people to not perform the challenge, noting "there is no safe way to do it."
Local
Temperatures in Illinois plummeted to double-digit subzero readings last week. Wind chill readings fell to more than 55 below zero in some areas.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
