'Dragon's Breath' Fad Food Raising Alarms Among Health Officials

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY - The Suffolk County Department of Health recently issued a warning regarding the latest fad among teens that involves eating a potentially dangerous dessert called "Dragon's Breath."

Dragon’s Breath is a food novelty made by freezing cereal puffs in liquid nitrogen. The frozen cereal is then served in a cup and eaten using a skewer or similar utensil.

When the frozen cereal is chewed, the cold condenses moisture in the consumer’s exhaled breath and gives the appearance of breathing smoke.

"If an item infused with liquid nitrogen is prepared or consumed incorrectly, it could have harmful health consequences," Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Dr. James Tomarken said. "Liquid nitrogen can cause damage to a person’s skin and internal organs and, if inhaled, it can cause asphyxiation (lack of oxygen)."

In a recent memo sent to local health officials, the New York State Department of Health said:

There is potential for injury associated with the use or service of liquid nitrogen, so we advise that precautions be taken when preparing or eating liquid nitrogen puffs. Instances of frostbite and tissue damage have been reported when residual liquid nitrogen is left in the serving cup. If fingers are used to remove the product from the cup, skin contact with liquid nitrogen can cause frostbite. Ingestion of liquid nitrogen can cause severe damage to the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Preparing the puffs in a manner that removes residual liquid nitrogen prior to serving effectively reduces the potential for injury.

Dragon's Breath is a hot new, very cold dessert from Korea that combines regular cereal with liquid nitrogen to give you vapor-filled, smoky breath — like a dragon. We visited @nitrolab_vancouver in the Vancouver Mall to give it a try. #dragonsbreath
A post shared by The Oregonian (@theoregonian) on Jun 6, 2018 at 12:47pm PDT

Last year, the dessert was offered at Florida’s Pensacola Interstate Fair where a 14-year-old suffered from a severe burn on her thumb after she touched the liquid nitrogen, according to a report in the New York Post. And just last week, a Florida boy was hospitalized after eating a Dragon's Breath snack at a Jacksonville mall.

So far, there have been no injuries from the trend reported on Long Island.

The Department of Health Services’ Bureau of Public Health Protection issues permits to food service establishments. Food service providers who intend to serve products using liquid nitrogen can contact the Bureau at 631-852-5999 for guidance on handling and serving this product.

I told you I was a dragon. #dragonbreath #dragon #nosmoking #newfriends #Repost @atticusperry1 ・・・ Downtime with the a+f crew at The Chocolate Chair. #dragonsbreath
A post shared by Quinne Daniels (@quinneforreal) on Mar 18, 2018 at 5:52pm PDT

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