Most People Don't Know These 23 Things Can Kill You

Buzz Feed

20 hours ago

Listen — we all know the internet can be a horrific, dark place, but it can also be an incredible resource that teaches you things you're shocked you had no idea about. You know — those things that you feel like there should've been a high school "how to be an adult" class on? Well, this post is exactly what I'm talking about here. Both Redditors and members of the BuzzFeed Community shared the simple — and sometimes seemingly harmless things — that, believe it or not, can actually kill you. I'll be honest, I had no idea about half of these, and these people have probably saved my butt a time or two. Here are 23 unexpectedly deadly things they shared:
"Leaving food out on the counter."
"Garage door springs."
"Cat and dog bites. My cat bit me, and I ended up in surgery because the infection was anaerobic. I could have lost my thumb or gotten sepsis. Go to a doctor to get an animal bite cleaned."
"Giving infants water to drink. It doesn't have to be much; water intoxication can kill them very easily."
"For adults: Drinking lots of water while also trying to be 'healthy' by going low-sodium can mess you up badly if your potassium levels go too low. I did that and spent a week in a coma."
"Rags covered in linseed oil can spontaneously combust when left in a pile. I randomly discovered this fact in a Reddit post titled, "The new guy burned down our workshop." A carpenter I know confirmed that this is a real thing. I've been getting into refinishing old furniture, so I'm glad I learned this now. You'd think it'd be more common knowledge!"
"A dental infection. I went to grief support meetings, and a woman there lost her son to an impacted tooth that spread infection to his brain."
"If potatoes are not stored properly and become rotten, they produce a toxic gas called solanine and can make a person unconscious if they've inhaled enough, and result in death in some cases. There was a news article back in 2013 of an entire family in Russia that was killed by it."
"Flowing water that is only inches deep can still have the strength to sweep you away if you're not careful."
"Mixing bleach and ammonia when you clean produces a toxic gas that will make you REALLY sick. "
"Pressure washers are quite lethal."
"Going to sleep while drunk and choking on your own vomit. Always lay your drunk friends on their side and lift their chin to open their airways. DO NOT lay them on their backs. My friend died from this at age 32."
"Slipping down the stairs. Yes, some people know stairs can be dangerous, but many don't realize how deadly residential stairs can be."
"Ladders. People think you have to fall far to get hurt or die. Eight feet is plenty."
"Tylenol. The dangerous dosage is only about four times the therapeutic dosage."
"A lot of medication interactions. Mucinex DM with antidepressants, Tylenol for a hangover. Always look up the potential drug interactions of medications. Every time. I've had doctors give me some deadly cocktails because they neglected to check them against the meds I was already taking. It happens more than you'd think."
"Party buses. My wife's cousin was on one a couple of years ago. They were all dancing on the bus while it was driving on the 101 freeway in LA. She slipped and fell against the door, which gave way. She fell out of the bus and was immediately run over by a car. There wasn't much left of her, closed casket for sure. She was celebrating her 30th birthday, but instead, she died and left behind 5 kids, all under 10."
"Cheerleading. I had an accident and almost died because one of my teammates lost their balance while I was on top, and I fell. I broke my neck and I haven't been able to walk or move most of my body again since."
"Other people mowing the lawn. My stepdad was cutting the grass 300-400 ft from the house. He hit a rock and it flew all the way to the house, through two panes of glass, and between me and my mom sitting by the window It shattered the glass on the oven door."
"Playing in a deep hole at the beach. Everyone forgets how heavy dirt actually is."
"Hitting your head. r/TBI is full of stories about simple slips and falls that resulted in death and lasting effects. I simply fell on ice at work once. Bam! Unconscious. I woke up saying I was OK but got talked into getting in an ambulance. I started dying in the ambulance from a severe brain bleed. I was in a coma and was expected to die, but I survived. I lost most of my memory, emotional stability, the ability to easily make new memories, and a ton of IQ. Still…in all, I'm not dead!"
"A grape. My wife had a friend/coworker whose young daughter choked to death in front of her and her mother. They tried to dislodge the grape, but nothing worked. By the time an ambulance got there, the girl was brain dead. It's about the worst thing I can imagine as a parent. We were cutting our kids' grapes in half until they were 10 after that happened."
And finally, "Confined spaces. If it only has one way in and out, especially if it is below ground, there is a very real possibility that there isn't enough oxygen in there to support life. Even something as simple as rusting metal can remove the oxygen from the air, and if there isn't airflow going through the space, the oxygen-depleted air won't be replaced. Other processes can remove oxygen or produce actively toxic gases. This sort of thing often kills more than one person, as the first person to find the victim goes in to rescue them and becomes the second victim."
Do you know of a simple thing like these that can accidentally kill people? If so, tell us about it in the comments below.