Viral Photo of Scarred Child Serves as Graphic Warning Against Putting Carbonated Beverages in the Freezer
A Chinese kid was forced to learn the very hard way what happens when you open a carbonated beverage can that's been sitting in the freezer for a few hours.
Namely: It explodes.
When carbonated beverages are frozen, the water expands as it turns to ice, and the carbon dioxide gas gets squeezed out of the mixture as it solidifies. The pressure on the inner walls of the cans becomes a ticking time bomb.
The young hero of our story required 31 stitches on his cheek and another seven inside his mouth after he opened a frozen can of coke and was struck by aluminum shrapnel when the container blew up in his face.
His mother, who posted photos of the aftermath on the Chinese social networking site Sina Weibo, said she hoped what happened to her son will serve as a warning to others.
"This accident has taught us a huge lesson," the mother wrote, according to a translation by RocketNews24. "It is a lesson we must never forget. Families with small children, please be careful. Do not put carbonated beverages in the freezer."
