Since the rise of YouTube monetization, trending fads have been ever-present on our social media streams. Unlike the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ice bucket challenge that subsequently raised millions of dollars for research after its viral debut in 2014, not every internet challenge is successful (or safe for that matter). The latest challenge to inoculate YouTubers and amateur memers is the condom-snorting challenge—and yes, it’s as frightening as it sounds.
Like the infamous tide pod challenge, which was initially inspired by seemingly harmless memes, The Washington Post reports that young people are challenging each other to snort condoms. In the condom-snorting challenge, participants, typically young people, insufflate a condom through their nose and pull it out from their mouth. Beyond the initial anti-hygienic factor, this challenge can have deadly ramifications.
The “condom snorting challenge” is as life-threatening as it is disgusting, and it’s the newest viral social media trend among U.S. teens. pic.twitter.com/DYhpFKGCE0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 3, 2018
While this deceivingly silly dare might not seem like it poses a health risk, inhaling anything—other than air and medically prescribed or recommended nasal spray, through your nasal passageway can pose a serious health risk. (In case putting something that isn’t intended for nasal use in your nose wasn’t enough of a warning already.)
An associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bruce Lee, notes in his column for Forbes, “The condom could easily get stuck in your nose or your throat, blocking your breathing or causing you to choke.” Condoms are meant to facilitate safer sex; however, condoms won’t protect your airways from suffocation or asphyxiation.
After a foreign object, in this instance a condom, goes through your nostril, it enters the nasal cavity and then the nasopharynx, where it begins its journey down the pharynx. The pharynx is a membranous cavity that connects the nose and mouth; however, it also eventually leads to the trachea (you know, our air tube). Because the pharynx, which is the general area challengers will be retrieving the condoms, is a sensitive structure the condom could easily become lodged in the pharynx. Obviously, if an object obstructs your pharynx, then your ability to breathe and function can be severely hindered—because this leads to suffocation and subsequent asphyxiation.
Ultimately, asphyxiation can cause generalized hypoxia and even brain hypoxia. Brain hypoxia basically occurs when your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, according to Healthline. If left untreated, hypoxia can result in death.
Beyond the risk of dying via suffocation which is a huge risk compared to the momentary internet-fame payoff, inhaling foreign objects, whether from your nose or your mouth, can cause dangerous complications and risks. As The Indian Journal of Chest Disease & Allied Sciences reports, a woman inadvertently inhaled a condom during while performing oral sex. The incident predates the condom-inhaling of today, but the woman suffered from pneumonia and partial lung collapse as a result of the inhalation. (Plus, the study says she had a chronic cough and fever for six months after the event—yikes.)
Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time a condom-snorting challenge has been popularized. According to ABC News, a condom-snorting challenge debuted back in 2007, after a single video started trending. The Washington Post adds that the same condom-themed challenge also surfaced back in 2013. However, the hype around the challenge has been dormant ever since.
If the hype surrounding this new challenge is similar to the tide pod challenge, then the condom-snorting challenge could generate additional problems and inconveniences beyond its potentially lethal side effects.
We’re too busy snorting condoms to realize the real condom was in our hearts all along
— Super Deluxe (@superdeluxe) April 3, 2018
After the tide pod challenge became YouTube-famous in Jan. 2018, health professionals warned participants about the harmful implications. As the tide pod challenge continued, retailers responded by securing tide pods and similar product behind locked cases. If this latex-snorting debacle ensues, the next “forbidden snack bags” could be condoms, as retailers could barricade them behind glass display cases.
However, the infamous tide pod fad did create a pseudo-resolution for the challenge: a recipe for edible tide pods. If participants continue to inhale condoms through their nose, we might see a comprehensive DIY instructional for nostril-safe condoms.
Regardless of how similar the upcoming condom-snorting challenge its laundry detergent predecessor, you shouldn’t try to inhale condoms. Like, please?