A mother is speaking out after a 'fun bonding activity' with her nine-year-old son left him in the hospital with third-degree burns - and he's one of dozens.
The viral recipe for Jolly Rancher grapes involves heating sugar and hard candy, which can sometimes reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In the case of mom Christina Blackstone of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , and her son, 9-year-old Caidan Blackstone, the candy heated up to its desired melting point, but had gotten all over her child's hands in a horrific moment out of any parent's fears.
"I've had a lot of mom guilt for even thinking this was a good idea," Blackstone told CBS news . "I went in complete shock the moment it happened," Christina Blackstone said. "I heard him scream and I said, 'Oh no, this is terrible.'"
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On a quiet rainy day, Blackstone decided to try this simple activity with just a few steps, as any parent would on a day where the kids couldn't go outside. But it quickly ended in disaster with a screaming child covered in molten candy.
An instinct told Blackstone to pull the hardening candy off his arms and hands. A doctor told her that this was the right choice, as leaving the candy embedded in the skin could've resulted in worse burns and the loss of nerve endings.
Dr. Ariel Aballay, the director of West Penn Hospital's burn unit said that his hospital has seen at least four patients in the last few weeks - two parents and two children.
Any accident with boiling candy or sugar can be potentially disastrous. Science-themed websites for kids suggest plenty of projects for melting sugar, but advise small children stay away from the material and instead observe. Most parents would never dream that a video recipe can cause that much damage, but sugar burns are particularly painful due to the unique chemical characteristics of sugar and its interaction with skin when heated.
When sugar is subjected to heat, it undergoes caramelization, a process where sugar molecules disintegrate and reassemble into new compounds. This reaction results in a variety of small, highly reactive molecules that can inflict significant harm to the skin.
Specifically, the hot sugar solution infiltrates the skin, causing severe tissue damage and destruction of nerve endings. Additionally, sugar soaks up moisture from its surroundings and can extract moisture from the tissue. This effect creates a significant pains and burning sensations.
Since the accident, the 9-year-old boy has been recovering. His mother says he's growing back skin and fingernails, but is still struggling to regain the use of his hand. "They told us practice exercises, squeeze the stress ball, do the finger touches," Christina said.
"Something that was gonna be fun and a memory for the kids ended up resulting in second-degree burns," she said.
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