Enjoy the bubbly this season, but do it safely.
Among all the injuries that can happen at holiday time – Christmas tree fires, slipping on ice, falling off ladders while stringing lights – one doesn’t usually think of flying–champagne-cork injuries.
But, according to eye doctors in the United States, incorrect popping of champagne corks is one of the most common holiday-related eye hazards.
Every year, holiday revellers incorrectly remove corks from overly warm bottles of bubbly, leading to serious eye injuries, including some that cause blindness.
A cork can actually fly out of a champagne bottle at 80 kilometres an hour, generating a force powerful enough to shatter glass. Not surprisngly, anything that travels that fast can cause a dangerous impact on your eye.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers these tips for properly opening a bottle of champagne.
- Make sure the champagne or sparkling wine is chilled to at least 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) before opening. The cork of a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly.
- Don’t shake the bottle. Seems so obvious, but you’ve likely seen sports figures doing it. It’s not a good idea. Shaking increases the speed at which the cork leaves the bottle, increasing the hazard.
- Never use a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.
- To open the bottle safely, hold down the cork with the palm of your hand while removing the wire hood. Point the bottle at a 45-degree angle away from yourself and from any bystanders.
- Place a towel over the entire top of the bottle and grasp the cork.
- Keep the bottle at a 45-degree angle as you slowly and firmly twist the bottle while holding the cork to break the seal. Continue to hold the cork while twisting the bottle. Continue until the cork is almost out of the neck. Counter the force of the cork using slight downward pressure just as the cork breaks free from the bottle.
No comments:
Post a Comment