Apparently an increasing number of young people enjoy "smoking" crushed Smarties candy. They inhale the candy dust into the mouth and then exhale, producing what looks like thick smoke. (Above is just one of many video demos on YouTube.) Guess what? It's generally a bad idea. From WCBS:
Mark Shikowitz, a Long Island ear nose and throat specialist, treated a 9-year-old who had pieces of candy lodged in his nose.
"He told his parents that he felt his nose was burning," Dr. Shikowitz said.
The candy eventually dissolved, but Shikowitz said kids could also accidentally inhale the fine powder down the wrong pipe.
"That irritation can cause you to cough, can cause you to laryngospasm, which is your voice box spasming and closing," Shikowitz said.
If the sugar sits in the lungs or in the nasal cavity for a prolonged period of time it could cause an infection.
"Any time you have a substance such as sugar in these areas, which are moist, it creates a terrific growth medium for bacteria," Shikowitz said.
"Alarming Trend: Kids Literally Smoking CANDY" (via Dose Nation)
