Louisiana Firefighters Worry New TikTok Challenge Could Be Deadly

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It's becoming more and more clear that TikTok challenges aren't just stupid, they're dangerous.  Maybe you've forgotten about the latest incident fueled by the social media platforms challenges.  The "Slap a Teacher" challenge led a Louisiana student to assault a disabled teacher, and that student is now facing felony charges and up to 10 years in prison.

The latest TikTok dare once again requires a bathroom

The latest TikTok challenge once again involves bathrooms.  But, unlike the "Devious Lick" digital dare that prompted users to steal any item from their school restroom (which earned head of public policy for the Americas at TikTok the hot-seat at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing according to KSL), this one could very well turn fatal.  KLFY reports that the danger is so real, officials with the St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 have issued this statement:

this is in fact extremely dangerous... Never mix chemicals together if you do not know if they will react to one another.

The "Extreme Toilet Cleaning" Challenge is potentially deadly

This latest stunt making the rounds on TikTok prompts users to video themselves dumping any and all chemicals available into the commode.  Anyone who payed even the smallest amount of attention in high school chemistry or watched Bill Nye the Science Guy should immediately see the problem here.  Blindly mixing powerful cleaning chemicals can create deadly gasses that could absolutely kill you in an extremely painful way.

TikTok users could inadvertently make an internationally banned chemical weapon

Just one example is what happens when you mix bleach (chlorine) and ammonia (found in loads of cleaning products).  When these two get together, the make a chlorine gas commonly referred to as "mustard gas."  This gas is responsible for killing approximately 90,000 people in WWI.  It has since been outlawed on the battlefield and is considered a deadly chemical weapon.

This challenge could also cause your toilet to explode

Although irresponsibly combining chemicals could result in toxic and potentially deadly fumes, that's not the only danger this challenge presents.  The chemicals these users are dumping into their toilets could combine and cause an "exothermic reaction."  This is the same type of reaction that happens when an explosive device is detonated.  In case you aren't connecting the dots - that means your toilet could literally explode.  Since most commodes are made from porcelain (which will absolutely shatter), the danger here is the blast and the shrapnel.  That's basically a huge fragmentation grenade.