It’s no secret that making a homemade blowgun is risky to both the creator and those around him or her. Now, a new study conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has confirmed this statement. After seeing three cases in which teens had inhaled darts from their homemade blowguns, the researchers decided to express their concern about the activity in a study published recently in the journal Pediatrics.

The researchers were made aware of the problem after dealing with the aftermath of a 15-year-old boy’s accidental inhaling of a blowgun dart. This particular boy had made a homemade blowgun by using directions he had found online (directions that are easy for anyone to locate using basic Internet search skills). Suffering from a three-hour-long cough, the teen went to the emergency department for medical treatment. X-rays revealed that a foreign object was blocking his airways. Eventually, it was discovered that the foreign object was a dart from a homemade blowgun.

The researchers report that two other teens were treated for the same injury in the span of three months. With a little encouragement, the teens admitted to inhaling a dart.

Researchers warn that the inhaling darts is a serious situation that carries with it a multitude of health risks, including death.

“Certainly, prompt treatment can result in good outcomes; however, serious potential complications, including death, could occur especially given the hesitance our patients showed in divulging the truth of the inciting event,” the authors explained.

According to the researchers, the teens inhaled the darts during deep inhalation. As the blowgun user prepares to “fire” the dart, he or she takes a deep breath. At this point, the vocal folds “maximally abduct,” raising the risk for aspiration.

The researchers predict that dart inhalations are likely to increase  in frequency, as homemade blowgun instructions proliferate on the Internet. They cited twenty different websites that contain instructions for creating homemade blowguns and darts.

What can be done to prevent blowgun accidents like the ones described above? Should blowguns be made illegal? Sound off in the comments section.