CHENNAI : If you are an active social media user, you would have come across the viral video of a boy consuming dry ice from an exhibition stall in Davangere, a city in Karnataka, and was allegedly reported dead. The clip shows the counter was named ‘Smoke Biscuits’ and the vendor served the child a smoky liquid. The child screamed immediately after consuming it. Upon fact checking, it has been proven that the boy had consumed smoke biscuits which contain nitrogen and not dry ice which is nothing but frozen carbon dioxide.
Liquid nitrogen and dry ice are harmful. Dry ice’s temperature can drop as low as -196 degrees Celsius and liquid nitrogen to -78.5 degrees Celsius. They get their names from the thick white vapour they produce in your mouth as you consume them at room temperature. Both are freezing agents commonly used in the preparation and preservation of food.
“Nitrogen causes irritable bowel syndrome resulting in cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhoea,” says Divya Sathyaraj, nutritionist and founder of Mahilmathi Iyakkam, an NGO that provides nutritious food free of cost to people in the lower income group. The other harmful reactions of nitrogen in human body are headache, stomach ache, acidity, perioral inflammation (pink patches around the mouth), swelling of lips and tongue, and skin allergies such as rashes, she adds.
In the city, an eight-year-old boy visited Divya’s clinic with similar symptoms of perioral inflammation, throat itching and other accompanying symptoms. While she treated the kid she notes, “Children grab the first bite of any food that looks appetising and tastes yummy. Now that it is time for summer vacation, I am concerned that they might eat anything that looks interesting and exciting.”
Biscuits are a common snack preferred in any Indian household. As most biscuits are made of maida that can raise cholesterol and obesity, she suggests, instead, parents can give their children a healthy snack. A few of Divya’s recommendations are 0% maida and gluten-free biscuits, and ragi laddoo made from palm sugar, ragi dosa, ragi kanji. “Ragi is a golden food as it has so many health benefits. As much as it is delicious, it is equally important that parents present the food so that kids want to have it again and again. For example, decorating ragi kanji with pomegranates on the top will attract kids,” shares Divya. Murukku made out of red and brown rice, eggs, millet noodles, honey and native fruits such as banana and mango should be added to our diet. “Our homegrown food is very healthy. Around 150 ml of banana milkshake is good evening for children and elders,” she adds.
If you or someone you know has consumed smoky liquid, and if there is no reaction, Divya suggests, “Let it go and never consume it again because it can be fatal. If there are reactions noticed, visit the nearest doctor.”