(ORDO NEWS) — Several children in Indonesia have reportedly suffered stomach burns after eating a popular liquid nitrogen street snack called chiki ngebul.
Widely known in Indonesia, the street snack chiki ngebul, also called “dragon’s breath”, is an assortment of rainbow-colored candies coated in a cloud of liquid nitrogen mist that causes the person who eats them to exhale the mist like a dragon.
However, health experts warn that if the snack is eaten before the liquid nitrogen has evaporated, it poses a real risk of burns and intestinal perforations.
So far, more than 20 children have been diagnosed with stomach burns after they were allegedly filmed eating chiki ngebul as part of a dangerous TikTok trend.
West Java Deputy Governor Uu Rujanul Ulum recently banned the sale of liquid nitrogen snacks after more than a dozen children reportedly suffered intestinal burns caused by eating chiki ngebul.
He also urged local authorities and school officials to test the ingredients used by street vendors and make sure they are safe for children.
Indonesian physician and global health security researcher at Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, confirmed the potential of liquid nitrogen to cause burns and intestinal perforations and warned that due to the popularity of chiki ngebul on the Internet, the number of affected children could be much higher than reported.
Indonesian Ministry of Health Director-General Maxi Rein Rondonuvu said skin burns and severe breathing difficulties are two other potential risks associated with liquid nitrogen consumption and called for stricter oversight of sales of chiki ngebul.
The medical warning has sparked a heated online debate in Indonesia, with those who oppose the measure claiming that liquid nitrogen candies have been sold on the street for years without any reports of accidents.
They say most of the blame lies with video-sharing platforms like TikTok, which encourage youth to participate in all sorts of silly challenges.
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