Snow laughing matter: Why you should never eat snow
Snacking on snow? Here's what else you're eating
Have you ever taken a bite out of winter? Eating snow may look harmless, however there could be thousands of elements in a single bite of snow. Auto emissions, bacteria, sea salts and nitrate are just the start!
While not safe for consumption, those tiny particles in the atmosphere actually help snowflakes form.
"Those microscopic particles are actually necessary for snowflakes to form initially and grow. In meteorology we refer to them as condensation nuclei,” explains meteorologist Nadine Powell. “It's what the moisture in the atmosphere latches onto to form. Without condensation nuclei, you would need extremely cold temperatures for the transition from gas or liquid to solid."
Watch the video above as The Weather Network’s Rachel Schoutsen talks to a snow chemist to find out what is really inside the snowpack and why you should keep it out of your mouth.
