Is it safe to eat snow?

Making snow ice cream is a trend popularized by TikTok, where people make frosty treats by taking scoops of snow and mixing them with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract.

But is it safe to eat snow?

Dr. Mikhail Yakubov, a gastroenterologist interviewed by the website Pioneer Woman, says as snowflakes fall, they can pick up pollutants, dust, or other bacteria. And the first snowfall to land on the ground is particularly susceptible to contamination from dirt, pesticides, or even chemicals used to melt ice.

Doctors say to especially avoid any snow that has any discoloration.