CGH Medical Center issued the following announcement on Oct. 4.
You may want to hold off on eating the cereal puffs stirred in liquid nitrogen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that foods and drinks prepared with the smoky chemical can cause serious injury.
Sold at fairs, malls and kiosks under names like "Dragon's Breath" and "nitro puffs," these products give off a misty or smokelike vapor similar to what you see with dry ice. When you pop a food item prepared with liquid nitrogen in your mouth, the vapor comes out of your nose and mouth as you exhale.
But FDA has received reports of severe injuries—including damage to skin and internal organs—caused by liquid nitrogen that remains in the food or drink when consumed. There's also been at least one report of someone having a hard time breathing after inhaling the vapor when the liquid nitrogen was added immediately before consumption.
Liquid nitrogen is nontoxic. Still, it can be dangerous if mishandled or accidentally ingested due to the extremely low temperatures it can maintain. Inhaling the vapor released by a food or drink prepared with the chemical can also cause breathing difficulties, especially in people with asthma.
Products sold with infused liquid nitrogen include colorful cereal and cheese puffs, as well as alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks that emit a fog.
Other foods, such as some frozen confections, are treated in such a way that the liquid nitrogen completely evaporates before reaching the consumer. These products are no longer at an extremely low temperature and don't pose a significant risk of injury.
Anyone who has been injured because of handling or eating products prepared with liquid nitrogen just before consumption should see their doctor.
Original source can be found here.
Source: CGH Medical Center
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