June 30, 2022 general

Fun Quote: “Never knock on death’s door. Ring the doorbell and run! Death totally hates that.” Darynda Jones

Be sure to read to the end to find out how vitamin pills stack up against these other threats.

Sharks are lethal, right? I ran across an interesting website that gives a frame of reference by comparing them to common things that hospitalize or kill more people than sharks. (Sharks do kill…but only 4 people per year worldwide.) The first item on the list below, Toothpicks, is from that site. The article also discusses Balloons, Lawn Mowers, Ladders, Furniture, Pens and Pencils (!), Space Heaters, Toasters and Zippers. (FYI Shark Week starts July 24 on the Discovery Channel.)

Toothpicks. Every year 9000 people end up in the hospital from choking on toothpicks. Most toothpick victims are children between the ages of 5 and 14. Furthermore, an average of 3 people die every year from accidentally swallowing toothpicks, puncturing their internal organs.

One hundred people a year die from swallowing the caps from ballpoint pens!

The following peculiar causes of death are from the book, Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die. (Years ago, I interviewed the author, Michael Largo)

Ambulance crashes. 1,795 per year, usually at intersections.

Anthrax. Five people died in 2001 because an anonymous (nut job) researcher wanted to show how easy it would be to launch a terror attack.

Bowling ball. Thrown from one car to another.

Cell phone. In 2001, an irate drinker in a bar fatally cracked a businessman over the head with a beer bottle when he refused to stop talking loudly on his cell phone.

Flying cow. In California in 1999 a pickup truck driver was struck by a cow hurled as a result of the animal’s collision with a car.

Hot air balloons. 34 per year.

Jellyfish. I didn’t realize that stings from these were more than annoying. Each year, allergic reactions to them claim 1,918. (Take that shark haters!)

Mercury poisoning. (Hydrargyria) 500 each year. Industrial exposure to less than a gram of some forms of mercury can be deadly. (Sadly the authorities do not seem to be concerned enough about our gradual accumulation of mercury from sources like pollution, seafood, amalgam dental fillings, vaccines, etc.)

Microwave popcorn. The vapors that emanate from a bag of freshly popped corn contain fumes of dactyl an ingredient in the artificial butter flavorings. It seemed to cause a lung disease in workers and consumers. Twenty four died in 2003. (Presumably that doesn’t count homicides by coworkers on diets who can’t stand the smell.)

Silk scarf. You may have heard of this one. In 1927 dance legend Isadora Duncan was strangled when her long flowing scarf became tangled around the wheel of the sports car in which she was riding.

Toupees. One can be fatally injured when the glue to hold on toupees catch fire.

Umbrellas. One man died after the wind hurled his pool umbrella at him fatally stabbing him. Approximately 3 people a year die from umbrella-related incidents.

FROM MY OWN FILES

Charcoal briquettes. Roughly 12 people a year die because of them. Carbon monoxide poisons them when people cook with them in enclosed spaces. [Hello Consumer Products Safety Commission, where is the panic?]

Infections that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. These are hard to treat infections like C- difficile that generally develops after a round of antibiotics and often in hospitals. The problem is worsened by the overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture. The annual death toll is 23,000. (Not nearly enough concern shown by the FDA)

Adverse drug reactions. Thousands die from these but the FDA seems to think that the benefit outweigh the risks.

Vitamins. Hah! There aren’t any deaths, but that doesn’t keep the FDA from working very hard to protect us from vitamins. It appears that they assume there must be a risk and don’t look for benefits to offset that. Main goal = protect big pharma from natural remedies.