Is a memory of youth safe? Should you scoop up some snow and take a bite?

It depends.

The Cleveland Clinic said that snow is not just frozen water. It also contains contaminants including dust, pollen and even chemicals.

But the health system said there are times that yes, you can eat snow but other times you will want to put the snowball down without taking a taste.

You can take a small taste when snow is:

• Undisturbed
• Pristine white
• The top layer

If you are in doubt don’t eat it. Physician assistant Max Huddleston said that as long as those three conditions are met and the snow is in his backyard, he will eat some snow.

“When my kid wants to eat snow, I always think back to when I used to eat snow as a kid,” Huddleston said. “I’ll eat snow with them and just enjoy it.”

Nationwide Children’s Hospital suggests that you can make sure snow is the safest to eat by putting a clean bowl out on a table or deck and collect snow as it falls, so it doesn’t hit the ground. You also want to make sure the bowl is not in an area where an animal could disturb it or where a bird could contaminate it.

When shouldn’t you eat snow?

There are times when it is not safe.

If the snow has been disturbed. We’re talking shoveled, plowed or even walked on because it can be contaminated.

If it is discolored - yellow, gray or black.

If it is the first layer directly on the ground. It can mix what is in the grass or dirt. It also can be polluted by what was in the air. As more snow falls, the air becomes cleaner.

You should also take note of where you live. Big cities have more pollution, The Cleveland Clinic said.

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