People don’t think about their coming death when they wake up in the morning and go about their daily lives. We may pass away at any time by just being in the wrong location at the wrong time, if you stop to think about it. Even if this line of thinking makes me uneasy, it is true that many routine jobs carry a small risk of death if you’re unlucky.
Table of Contents
1. Eating
Humans need food to survive, but whenever we chew up our cheeseburger or swallow our salad, we risk choking on a large chunk of food. In 2021, over 5,000 Americans died because of choking, and it only takes four or five minutes for the lack of oxygen to kill.
2. Taking a Shower
Most people I know shower at least every three days, if not daily. It gets pretty slippery in the bottom of the tub, which can cause you to slip and smack your head or even break your neck.
3. Driving
There were over 200 million registered cars in the U.S. in 2021, meaning that hundreds of millions of Americans are on the road on a given day. While most outings to the grocery store or to work won’t phase you, car accidents are more prevalent than you may have known. Over 46,000 people die in car accidents in the U.S. every year.
4. Going for a Walk
If you prefer walking over driving as your method of transportation, you aren’t completely protected from risk. If you walk around heavily trafficked areas, you could get hit by a truck or even killed by an active shooter. Over 20,000 Americans were murdered in a shooting in 2021.
5. Taking a Bath
If you prefer to soak in the tub rather than stand in the shower, a different kind of danger lurks behind the corner. While a bath full of water doesn’t look like much, it only takes one inch to drown someone. If you fall asleep or have a seizure in the bath, you could drown in under four minutes.
6. Using the Stairs
Many of us climb stairs daily to enter our workplace or head upstairs to bed at night. The next time you take the stairs, be careful because over 12,000 people in the U.S. die from falling down the stairs every year.
7. Cleaning Your Home
While cleaning your kitchen or bathroom feels like a mundane task, it can go wrong in the blink of an eye if you’re not cautious. If you mix specific cleaning solutions, you can create toxic chemicals with deadly fumes. For example, take classic household cleaners bleach and ammonia: if you combine the two, you will create mustard gas which can kill you in under ten minutes if you inhale it.
8. Cooking
Humans need daily nourishment to live a healthy life, so most of us must cook regularly to feed our families. But cooking requires using a stove or oven, which can reach temperatures over 500 degrees. If you don’t pay close attention, a rag could catch fire and spread the flames throughout your home.
9. Vending Machines
I’ve never seen a vending machine from around the corner and felt terror, but vending machines are more deadly than you may think. An average of thirteen people die annually when they rock a vending machine back and forth in hopes of extracting their stuck bag of chips. Instead, the machine falls and crushes them.
10. Using the Restroom
The average person poops at least three times per week, if not three times daily. But pooping too much or too little or pushing too hard can kill you in the wrong circumstances. While straining while you attempt to push out a log will usually just hurt or give you hemorrhoids, it can cause cardiovascular problems and lead to a heart attack. Worldwide, dysentery kills over 2,000 children daily, and around 200 people died from constipation in the U.S. in 2020. Did you know these everyday tasks are potentially deadly?
11. Listening to headphones while walking
Whether you don’t hear the car coming while crossing the street or the person walking up behind you, wearing headphones while walking is a possible way to get seriously injured.
12. Going to School
Unfortunately, going to school in the US is not as safe as it used to be. From kidnappings to shootings to even crossing the street, going to school can be another way.
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