Stop the Pop

by Mia Nordloff

In young children, or those with sensitive skin, they have discovered that these gels can cause serious burns. Some of the insides of the toys are so acidic that they have a pH of 2. For comparison, the lining of your stomach, which can corrode metals, is about the same pH. If you happen to get the gel on your body, you are strongly advised to wash it off with warm water and soap immediately, and needless to say, avoid contact with your eyes. Not all of them are acidic, though. Most of them have a non-toxic inside that has a similar consistency to glue. Some have a sugar based gel inside, though it is not edible. There have been recent cases where people have decided to microwave their needohs in order to soften them. The problem with this is that the toys can heat up incredibly quickly, and explode upon contact, causing severe burns. Even leaving them in the car on a warm day can have consequences. Once the heated up needoh is touched, it will explode, and the boiling hot gel can burn the skin and cause tissue damage. The stickiness of the gel makes it difficult to remove, so the burning gel will stay on. A similar reaction to the heated up needoh occurs when they are frozen. After taking these events into consideration, our school has come to the ultimate conclusion that they should be banned on campus.