Parents warned about teen ‘shell on’ challenge shared across social media

TIFFINOHIO.NET — Teenagers are eating banana peels, candy wrappers and more in a new viral competition dubbed the “shell on challenge.”

While not as dangerous as the potentially fatal “Tide Pod challenge” which involved eating laundry detergent pods, doctors still advise against eating anything that isn’t food.

“Organic material like fruit peels are typically not dangerous. Zest is often used in recipes (lemon zest) which is the shavings of the rind,” Chicago-area physician Max Plitt told the New York Post. “Eating plastic, on the other hand, can be dangerous. BPA has been suggested to influence hormones. Chemicals in PVC like vinyl chloride have been linked to cancers.”

Teens have posted videos of themselves and their friends eating banana peels, the cores of apples, plastic packaging, cardboard boxes and more.