By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
The latest viral challenge is claiming hundreds of lives around the world
5fb5f891bcb2f68a418e96672ba9a89ce4aead1b8fe27bb9d497296ce04f1311
Don't let it happen to your children. - photo by Camila Ignacia Gmez Gonzlez
Camila Ignacia Gmez Gonzlez
FamilyShare
Published: Dec 4, 2017, 1:10 PM
A few months ago we learned that children and teens were participating in the Blue Whale challenge, a challenge with several stages the last one being suicide. Needless to say, it claimed several innocent lives. After this came the challenge of throwing boiling water on a person to see how much pain they could endure. Many of these viral challenges are becoming dangerous and inappropriate.

Another new and dangerous viral challenge has appeared on social networks that parents need to be aware of. It's the #SaltAndIceChallenge. This challenge is another way to prove who can endure pain the longest. The challenge consists of putting salt on your skin and holding a piece of ice on top of it. This produces a chemical reaction that makes the salt dissolve and lowers the temperature of the ice to almost 20 below zero. This reaction can lead to serious second and third degree burns.

Teens everywhere are accepting the challenge and filming their attempts. They post their videos on their social channels and compete with friends or strangers. They want to know who can endure more pain and get the most impressive wounds on their skin.

One of the scariest cases is when a 12-year-old boy competed in the challenge for 20 minutes, leaving a wound on his skin that might leave a permanent scar.

According to Dr. Marc Jeschke, "In general, frostbite takes some time to develop, as the blood slowly crystallizes and causes damage. The salt and ice challenge causes injuries much more quickly, damaging the skin and nerve endings in the process.

While this challenged started in the United States, there are many cases of the #SaltAndIceChallenge around the world. Authorities are asking parents everywhere to keep their teens social media under strict supervision in order to prevent serious injuries.

We always say Its all fun and games until someone gets hurt," but there are only injuries from the #SaltAndIceChallenge.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.