Can I Eat Snow? A Doctor Answers

We all know not to let our kids eat yellow snow, but is it really that bad to eat freshly fallen snow? 

The answer is yes, it IS bad, according to Dr. Ian Smith.

"Even though the snow looks nice and fresh and white, when the snow is coming down it is actually attracting atmospheric pollutants," Dr. Ian explains. "Things that are in the air that you can't see — it actually gets into the snow."

So, it may look "clean," but even seemingly untouched snow has already picked up pollutants from the air such as car exhaust or pesticides. And even if you can't see dirt or animal droppings in the snow, the wind blows microscopic particles around, which could lead to a bacterial infection or parasites like roundworms.

All that gross stuff being said, a little taste of snow every once in a while is likely not going to hurt you or your kid, but the doc suggests not making it a habit to eat snow off the ground.