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Some mundane things seem harmless at a first glance, and while a few of them actually are, others can be quite hazardous to one’s well-being. Not realizing that often leads to people failing to take necessary precautions and—consequently—paying the price.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed such instances after the redditor ‘u/Deviant55’ asked them what’s a really dangerous thing that everyone treats like it’s safe. The netizens’ answers covered everything from stress and loneliness to sun and sugar, showing that something people often consider humdrum can be pretty dangerous. Scroll down to find more of their answers on the list below.
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#5
Sun burns would be treated much differently if they were called by their true name, radiation burns.
#9
The heat. I feel like people still dismiss it way too easily.
I had a massive heat stroke about 5 years ago and it almost took me out; my body will never be the same. It went through so much trauma, that it now works harder to keep me cool making me even more susceptible to heat-related emergencies.
#12
Wild animals
I was in Thailand when a 30 year old got bitten by a monkey. Her complaint? No one had warned her not to pet the monkeys. Honest to God.
#13
I get a lot of tourists in my area trying to casually summit the local 14,000ft mountain in sandals. Some weeks in the summer are absolutely nuts for search and rescue and the emergency room staff.
It’s frankly disturbing how common this kind of interaction is. But a lot of people don’t have the exposure to nature to really understand that the elements can and will endanger you at the drop of a hat.
#14
animals
like they're cool and all but like they're still animals, it's not a reason to try and get up close to them, there's a reason that safari tours stop 200 feet away from the animal, there's a reason that zoos have glass and metal bars separating you and the animal. just because an animal is USED to be people doesn't mean you should get up close to it.
same thing with pets, pets have the restraint to not ACTUALLY try and hurt you if you bug them because they love you and know you are not trying to hurt them but they are still capable of enforcing boundaries, meaning don't act like your pet won't bite or scratch you or a kid when the kid is messing with his face or actively causing pain or fear without intent.
too many animals were killed or labeled as dangerous because humans assumed they didn't have boundaries.
#15
Water on the road. You *might* be able to drive through it, but more often than not you shouldn't try to.
#17
Long hair around pulleys and belts.
There’s a YouTube channel where two young ladies are working around a sawmill with long hair, and I can’t count how many times people have begged them in the comments to tuck their hair up. They don’t.
#18
Blunt kitchen knives. One might think, oh this is just a flat piece of steel but cutting becomes tearing and crushing. The extra force this takes can easily send the knife off in an unintended direction in a swift and uncontrollable manner. Then you find out what a flat piece of steel can do to your fingers.
#19
Everyday household cleaning chemicals. Especially if you mix them to make a 'better, stronger' cleaner.
#21
Loneliness.
The NHS (British health care system) did a study like this: develop a statistical definition of loneliness - a threshold of social connections, below which, yeah, the subject is pretty surely lonely.
Examine the difference in death rate between people in the same demographic categories, who are lonely (as defined) or not lonely.
Being lonely turns out to have about the same risk as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
#22
The springs in your garage door.
One of those yeeted itself across my garage, through two paint cans, and punched a hole in the drywall. We installed safety cables after that surprise.
#23
I say this as a passionate stoner: weed
F****n hell its Addictive and it sure affects your psychological well-being. And smoking it is -well, Smoking in general- very unhealthy, Not only to your lungs, but also the cardiovascular system and your genes (yes, your genes).
#25
Alcohol and benzos are some of the only substances that can physically cause death from withdrawal. One needs a script, and one I can get walking 10 minutes down the street.
#29
Riding a horse is comparable with serious extreme sports, and head injuries are the most common.
#30
Animals. People taking selfies with wild animals or jumping into a lion exhibit at the zoo.
#33
Motorcycles, atv's, really anything without a cage around it. Even if you wear a helmet, the brunt of the impact force goes on your spinal column.
#35
Compressed air.
I was once putting air in a car tire while on a road trip with a friend. After filling the last tire I handed him the tube and started screwing on the cap. For some dumb reason, he thought it would be funny to stick the air tube in my ear and turn it on.
I couldn’t hear out of that ear for like 20 minutes and it hurt so much. I probably should have gone to the hospital but the pain went away almost instantly and my hearing came back so I just didn’t go.
#37
ATV's Even if you are going very slow they can gently tip over sideways and crush you. At the hospital, any time we see "trauma, ATV" show up on the list there is a good chance it's going to be a terrible injury.
#42
Resin! It is toxic if not used with appropriate ventilation and equipment (including gloves and a mask) but everyone uses it for projects in their little apartment studios. Always stresses me out to see that.
#43
Over the counter painkillers - They are easily abused and can cause liver and/or kidney damage.
#48
NSAIDs (gastrotoxic, nephrotoxic, cardiotoxic) and acetaminophen aka paracetamol (hepatotoxic). People take too many of them too often.
#49
Living. You can get a brain aneurysm without any warning, cardiorespiratory stop for no reason, cardiac arrest, heart attack, asthma attack etc.
#53
Crosswalks. Been a part of a lot field trips and usually hear one teacher imply that crosswalks will keep you safe from cars.
What do you think ?
wowbagger 2 years ago
I don't understand the negative comments on having a list like this. It's good for us to be aware of dangers we might not have realized were dangerous. Not all of us were blessed with parents who taught us all this stuff. Also, there will always be people of lower than average intelligence (by definition). Are we just going to shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, sucks to be them"? Or should we try to protect them from dangerous things that they might not be capable of protecting themselves from?
wowbagger 2 years ago
I don't understand the negative comments on having a list like this. It's good for us to be aware of dangers we might not have realized were dangerous. Not all of us were blessed with parents who taught us all this stuff. Also, there will always be people of lower than average intelligence (by definition). Are we just going to shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, sucks to be them"? Or should we try to protect them from dangerous things that they might not be capable of protecting themselves from?
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