“Mozzarella Sticks”: 40 Life-Threatening Things That Are More Deadly Than Most People Think
Interview With Author
The uncomfortable truth that we all want to avoid is that someday, we’ll all die. However, until that moment comes, it’s up to us to ensure that our lives have purpose and meaning, that we leave behind a positive legacy, and that we get to enjoy as many awesome things as we can. The longer we live, the more time we have to do all of those fun things with great people. That’s why we take care of our health and avoid taking dumb risks.
However, when you sit down and think about it, there are far more risks to our health out there than many of us realize—and many of them aren’t all that apparent. Redditor u/adventure21mc started up a viral thread on the r/AskReddit online group, asking internet users about the things that cause death “more than people realize,” and many shared their thoughts. You’ll probably be more careful in the future, as you’ll never look at things like driving while sleepy and avoiding treating dental problems the same way again.
Keep in mind, though, that the purpose of this article isn’t to make you scared, simply to make you more aware of what reality can be like, without any frills. There is no such thing as being ‘perfectly safe.’ We can do our best to avoid many dangers, and we shouldn’t stop living our lives because we’re too frightened of getting hurt.
We reached out to redditor u/adventure21mc for a friendly chat about their viral thread, how to balance safety with living to the fullest, and how to make life feel more purposeful. The OP was kind enough to answer Bored Panda's questions. "I think my post resonated with many people due to them discovering that many common causes of death go unreported or underreported. While I did get a few responses I was expecting (alcoholism, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.), I did not know stairs and tripping kill thousands of people every year," they said.
"In addition, what inspired me to make this post was the hundreds of thousands of people who die every year due to medical malpractice, which is a very common form of death that nevertheless goes underreported or ignored by society." Read on for the rest of our interview with the author of the thread.
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Covid. People don't take it seriously enough. They don't mask. They don't get vaccinated.
One of my friends lost two members of her family at the same time from covid - and both of them were fairly young people, not old people.
Covid can also mess you up. One of my family members has long covid, and she has been seriously damaged now for seven months. Sleeps 16 hours a day, has trouble eating, brain fog, weakness.
Covid kills and it also cripples, and people pretend we aren't still in the middle of a pandemic. They act like it's no big deal.
It's a big deal.
Stress. Your body can only handle so much of it and it’s labeled the “silent killer” for that reason. With your high blood pressure and the 5 hours of sleep a night because of the stress, It will creep up on you sooner than you think.
Some people can feel completely overwhelmed, anxious, and fearful for their safety after hearing about all the potential risks waiting for them just going about their daily lives. Bored Panda wanted to get redditor u/adventure21mc's opinion on how to live one's life to the fullest, while also staying safe.
"In my eyes, being alert and trusting your instincts is a good way to balance safety and living life well. While I don't think you should go through life being cynical about everything, having a backup plan and looking for potential warning signs in your life is a good way to avoid potential danger in death," they explained.
"While death may come for us all eventually, taking precautions and taking care of yourself physically and mentally is a good way of increasing your chances of having a longer lifespan."
Falling coconuts cause about 150 deaths annually
Coconuts [take out] around 150 people worldwide each year, which makes them about ten times more dangerous than sharks.
But the moment you suggest coconut week everyone acts like you're the weird one.
In the thread author's opinion, "life is about enjoyment and the memories we make. Life, to our current knowledge, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we should make use of that opportunity through memories (preferably good, though bad memories are inevitable)."
They told Bored Panda that struggles in life are unavoidable and there will be many of them. However, "enjoying the world, making good memories, and forging relationships with friends and family will do wonders in living life to the fullest and making it more purposeful."
Redditor u/adventure21mc opened up to us that though they're happy that their post got so many upvotes and comments, they feel "a little embarrassed" that their "most upvoted comment on Reddit ever asked about a subject as dark and morbid as death."
I legitimately say smoking cigarettes. I watched my mom (lung cancer), dad (bladder cancer), both grandfathers (lung and throat cancer), one grandmother ( brain cancer) and an aunt ( throat cancer but never smoked, had lived with smokers since birth)die very slowly and very painfully from decades of smoking/exposure. I smoked for 20+ years, quit 8 years ago while I was still in my 30s, but I have 2 older sisters that smoke like crazy and I hate to say it, but I am starting to see the really bad signs I saw with my other family members who passed.
If you smoke, it's going to [take you out].
Yeah, yeah, yeah.. you gotta die sometime, but do you really want it to be while you're gurgling words through a hole in your neck, begging for an extra push of morphine to dampen the pain as all your organs slowly fail?
Just. Quit.
Even if it’s a quick illness, like my dad ( lung, spine and brain cancer) it’s a horrible end that erases any happy memories of that person for a long time
Most deaths are a “horrible end that erases any happy memory of that person for a long time”. Don’t think because folks don’t get smoking cancer that their deaths are any less fraught with dementia, senility, anger, childishness and agony. Thems the breaks.
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My family were all smokers. I started when I went to college, not realising that I was seconhand smoker from childhood. I want to quit, tried several times but any stress I go straight back and truth is stress becomes berable. I feel benefits when Im not smoking but still I go back. It would be easier if nonsmokers understand that is not that easy to just quit, esspecially for people who didnt do this to themselves. I dont live in smoke aware country, I dont have support feom comunty, there is laws wich forbid smoking in bars and restaurants but noome contol that. Now, I will seek profesional help, there is a place where I dont have to pay until Im able to save money that I would spent on tobacco. It just os not easy amd every smoker would quit if it was that easy. Its emotinal cruch, its addiction, there is no benetfits, it stupid, its debilitating but I cant JUST QUIT.
Some studies show that quitting smoking is on the same level as quitting heroin. It's tough. I have smoked for over 20 years and have quit at least four times - just never "sticks" for more than a couple months. Quit drinking 2-1/2 years ago though.
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I find it very difficult to associate with anyone that smokes. It is a real turn off for me.
I feel you may be missing out on some really great people due to that thought
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Believe it or not, the current crop of Republican politicians are denying this. They just brought back smoking inside the Capital building, claiming that secondhand smoke is actually not that bad.
.. what?! Side effects of smoking and second hand smoke are almost exactly the same?! What is going on there 🤦♀️
Load More Replies... one of my elderly family members is currently battling lung cancer. It's horrible to watch. Don't smoke kids
Have known people with lifelong emphysema since childhood from being exposed to adult's smoke
I feel ya, OP. And I've seen what you have seen - almost exactly
Glad you quit. My mom died from emphysema 17 years ago (smoked 2 packs a day for nearly 60 years) and my oldest brother just died from the effects of bladder cancer caused by smoking (the cancer had also metastasized into the bones & lymph nodes, plus he had emphysema). I asked him when my mom died why he wouldn't quit & he'd say, "Smoking takes years off your life, but they're the bad years."
For some people, it gets them through decades of hard living , stress, anxiety, etc. so they see it as a trade-off. It’s tough.
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My Mom suffered a lung embolism some 20 years ago - smoking surely played a part in that, though she believes there may have been other factors too. We nearly lost her, but she pulled through and quit smoking after that. I'm immensely grateful for her decision!
I'm so happy I quit but I miss it everyday! It's not like chips - you can't just have one!
If you keep failing at quitting smoking it's ok, pick yourself up and try again when you're ready. It took me 5 times until it eventually stuck. You can do it, kid, go for it !! 🤙
Smoking is the most disgusting thing. I just don't get it. What is the attraction?
You should consider doing a genetic screen for familial cancer-causing gene mutations, because your family history, especially in first degree relatives, is quite worrying.
Don't forget 3rd hand smoke - the nicotine that condenses inside cars where kids get that s**t all over themselves (nicotine is used as a pesticide)
Smoking caused someone I know high blood pressure for 45 years, uncontrollable, now they have heart damage, kidney failure and dementia from it. They also lost all their teeth to abscesses caused by smoking. The abscesses lasted more than 20 years, and caused them excruciating pain and systemic infections, caused family breakup due to illness. Their wet macular degeneration stopped occuring right after they stopped smoking. They smoked a quarter pack a day. No cancer. Did not by itself, cause heart disease. There are other dangers to smoking.
Became a smoker at 36 - I can't even explain why. It made me understand addiction. Every hour or so I would want one because I had a feeling that it would make me feel better. Needless to say it didn't. I'd have to trudge outside, rain or shine, 110⁰ or pouring rain, to have one and realize all over again that I didn't feel better at all. Quit cigarettes, vapes for a few years, and now I'm on zero nicotine vape - finally. It's so expensive and stupid
I am so glad I dodged this bullet. I am the opposite of addictive personality. I tried cigarettes when younger but thought they were gross. And I've never felt that calm / whatever that nicotine supposedly gives you. But I was a child in the 60s when smoking was the norm and everywhere had ash trays. They were even a common promotional item. My mom used to smoke as best I remember but I only recall seeing her smoke once (I think she did it not in front of me) and she quit when I was young. I have a friend of 50+ years who smokes about 2 packs a day. Or... I think she cut down some. But still too much. And she has a lot of health issues that may or may not have been made worse by smoking.
I smoked for 50 years and since I quit 11 years ago - no problems - it's genetic for 67% of the time. After 5 years my lungs should be no different than a person who never smoked. Kept me off of booze and opiates. Ignore the big man's word and media propaganda. However, if don't smoke - don't start, if you do - quite ASAP. The 16% of cancer caused by smoking may get you - seems like a big risk.
My husbands stepfather died from lung cancer because of smoking and my own mom has COPD but still smokes
My paternal grandmother was a chain smoker from an early age and lived to the ripe old age of 97. She was eternally grumpy and we had to be bribed to go and visit her. It was so unfair to see my maternal grandmother with Alzheimer’s while grandmother H still grumped through life.
Untreated dental problems. A cavity left untreated can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Grief. People think it's a myth but you can die of a broken heart.
The fact of the matter is that there are many things that we simply can’t control. And that’s a problem because human beings want certainty and routine in their lives. They help us feel safe and ensure that we can plan for the future. So when something unpredictable happens to us, we can feel disappointed, frustrated, lost, and even traumatized, depending on the severity of the event.
However, the last thing that we want to do is to run away from these uncomfortable feelings. Instead, we ought to try embracing the fact that life on Planet Earth can be unpredictable and uncertain at times. Not everything will go to plan. Bad things happen to good people. We’ll never be prepared for all bad outcomes.
So we’re left with doing the best that we can and letting go of the need to control what’s essentially uncontrollable. We can change how we react to what’s happening to us and can adjust our expectations. Meanwhile, embracing the chaos can, in turn, help us become more resilient.
The things that we can control include what we eat, how much we exercise and spend outdoors, whether we get enough sleep and practice good hygiene, as well as whether we have meaningful relationships with others, how we deal with stress, and what we do in our spare time. That's on top of being more aware of our surroundings (are you watching where you're going? Do you look both ways before crossing the street) and knowing the basics of what to do in case of an emergency.
This is going to get buried since I’m answering so late in the game…
Not a cause of death, but still extremely important info that I am constantly telling others about: suffering a spinal cord injury from diving into water.
I’m a quadriplegic and run a nonprofit that works with people after they suffer a spinal cord injury. Other than car accidents, diving into water is the second most common cause for spinal cord injuries that we see. The worst part about it is that it is probably the most preventable cause.
I’m constantly amazed that people will dive into water without knowing how deep it is, or even just jumping headfirst into an oncoming wave on the beach. If you are going to dive into the water, dive straight out, not down so that your head will potentially hit the bottom or a submerged object that you didn’t know was there. If you have kids, teach this PLEASE!
I have seen SO many YouTube videos of people careless driving in bodies of water with unknown depth (i. e. Flooded roads/areas , creeks...). Some of them just ruined their cars, others drowned. It's just baffling to see someone maneuvering around roadblocks or stopped vehicles "because this little water is no problem to conquer with my driving skills" 🤦♀️
Homelessness.
So many people want to seem like they care, but nobody wants to face the grim fact that **hundreds, if not thousands, of people in America freeze to death on the streets in the winter.**
People are homeless for a variety of reasons; myself, I was getting away from abusers and had nowhere to go. I never got into hard drugs, but I easily could have, and many people do. That’s the thing—drug abuse usually doesn’t cause homelessness; homelessness consistently causes drug abuse.) And in that time I met people who became homeless due to disability, the death of a partner, the death of a parent, medical expenses from cancer treatments—and maybe literally 3-5 people who became homeless because of their drug habit, but they were VERY MUCH SO in the minority.
When homeless it's very easy to drink or take drugs to block out what you are dealing with. I stuck with cannabis when I was homeless, but I could easily have taken something stronger. I did once try crack but really didn't like the come down so never did it again.
Child birth. Oddly enough still somewhat dangerous. Obviously much safer than it used to be, but there can be pretty serious complications. People seem to think its totally risk free these days.
According to the CDC’s data from 2020, the leading causes of death in the United States include heart disease (696,962 deaths), cancer (602,350), Covid-19 (350,831), accidents (200,955), stroke (160,264), and chronic lower respiratory diseases (152,657).
That year, Alzheimer’s disease claimed 134,242 lives. Diabetes killed 102,188 Americans, while influenza and pneumonia were responsible for the untimely death of 53,544 people. Nephritis (kidney inflammation), nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis also claimed the lives of 52,547 people.
Female heart attacks. We tend to feel pain from other places other than the chest. Never even realized it was a heart attack.
When I had my heart attack in November it was the last thing it never crossed my mind that was what was happening. I had pain in my back very similar to kidney stones, which I'm very prone to having plus I've had several back surgeries and including spinal fusion, except the pain was on both sides. I endured it off and on for over ten hours. It was only when I got to the point of not being able to stand up much less walk that I finally broke down and went to the hospital. By that time I was so dizzy and short of breath I couldn't sit up straight in a wheelchair. Only then, withy pulse pounding in my head, did I begin to think it could be cardiac related. No chest pain at all, no sweating, no nausea, no classic symptoms for hours. Back pain, which I endure every... Single... Day... Only difference was it being a bit more intense right out of the gate instead of a gradual buildup. Tl;dr-if your back hurts and it seems a bit different at all, go get checked ladies!
Chiropractors.
Although the exact number of deaths is unclear due to lack of documentation, it's estimated that at least 40 people per year (in the US) die from chiropractic manipulation.
Mosquitoes.
Selfish_Princess replied:
That's right! Mosquitoes [take out] one million people a year. One MILLION. For context, the next animal is comically humans themselves, with 135 thousand homicides.
Globally, the leading causes of death are cardiovascular diseases while cancers are in second place. High blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high blood sugar, and air pollution are also to blame for many health problems.
However, the causes of death can vary quite significantly from country to country. Broadly speaking, non-communicable diseases cause the most harm in rich countries. Meanwhile, infectious diseases are the most dangerous in lower-income countries, according to ‘Our World in Data.’ This is slowly changing, and fewer people are dying due to infectious diseases, but more are losing their lives because of non-communicable ones.
Mozzarella sticks. Statistically the most choked on food.
Air pollution from fossil fuel burning & heavy industry, mostly in China & India. The number of premature deaths from air pollution is estimated at 6 - 7 million per year. Put another way, fossil fuels cause more deaths every 2 - 3 weeks than nuclear power has in its entire history even if you do the completely dishonest thing of including Hiroshima & Nagasaki in that total.
UTIs. They can EASILY turn into sepsis. My mother has nearly died twice from a UTI she had no symptoms of until she was septic. And she has lingering issues from the sepsis 5 years ago.
UTIs seem like no big deal but get your a*s to the doctor for antibiotics right away. They can kill you before you know it.
Selfies, in obviously dangerous situations.
silent_manu replied:
Schools banned field trips in our region before for a year or two due to three different incidents of students trying taking a selfie during a field trip.
Influenza. Just regular old flu. Many people ignore it thinking it'll go away on its own. Globally the number per year is usually between 300k and 500k. In the US it can be anywhere from 12k to 50k per year.
Anorexia has a higher death rate than depression. It has the highest death rate among all mental disorders
But sure, body image isn't a relevant problem, especially not in women... /s
Stairs.
20 million severe injuries each year and at least 200.000 death from consequences of the fall. Both my grandparents died because of a fall.
Alcoholism causing liver failure and its on the rise in the USA.
Not just liver failure. Oesophageal cancer, kidney faliure, heart disease...all sorts of nasties. And trying to quit drinking cold turkey can cause hallucinations, seizures and even cardiac arrest - never, ever try it! Cold turkey is for opiates only (opiate withdrawal hurts like f**k but isn't actually dangerous).
Street fights.
You watch some Hollywood blockbusters and some MMA fights and you think you can do it too. I've seen stories of a guy minding his own business and gets rocked on the side of his head. It disconnected his spine and he was dead before he hit the ground. There was another story maybe a year ago of a scuffle where a guy was stabbed in the neck and bled out to the point of being unable to stand within 10 seconds. Stop f*****g around, it's not worth your life.
Anyone else remember when so many people were getting king-hit on the streets that they decided to bring in laws specifically surrounding one-punch attacks?
Odd fact I learned over New Years, Champagne corks [take out] more people that spiders on average every year. I think the yearly average is 34 deaths.
Falling in the bathroom, especially the shower.
Yes to this, I lost my aunt and uncle after they slipped in the bathroom
Tripping. On average around 17k people a year in the US die from injuries incurred after tripping and falling.
Particularly for older people. Working in aged care, I've seen relatively healthy and active older folks have a fall, break a hip and die within a few months.
Tetanus. Get your vax up to date, it's ugly.
Tbh it's very unlikely to catch tetanus, but if you do you're on the road to die in the most painfully, gruesome way. The spasms can get so intense that they break bones in your spine
High Blood Pressure. It sneaks up on you and you don't know about it or don't care but its the underlying cause of so many deaths.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a silent killer because it often has no symptoms. Untreated hypertension is the leading cause of cardiomyopathy which weakens your heart muscle. Over time the heart muscle dilates because it struggles to pump blood and has to work too hard. This can lead to fatal arrhythmia (irregular heart beats) and ultimately death. Get your blood pressure checked often and if a doctor prescribes medication take it!
Ladders. Ladders [take out] around 300 people/year in the US.
Untreated infections. Your body will become septic, in which it essentially kills itself trying to kill off whatever infection one has.
Diabetes ... its not always the disease itself that kills you its all the co morbidity that comes with it.
Swelling , prone to infection , organ damage , eye damage, limb loss even cutting ur own toenails keeping feet free from cuts ... tiny scratches that can turn into cellulitis then sepsis .
Yeah don't recommend it
My mother has type 2, and regularly fails to look after herself. Two minor strokes and counting, and heart disease. I’ve told her straight up that I’ll be starting funeral arrangements after the next one because sure as hell she won’t make it back..and it gives me the shits
Alcohol withdrawal. As a person that has has many withdrawals people don’t seem to understand how potentially serious the withdrawals are, especially done without medical assistance. Thank f**k I don’t have to go through that s**t.
Well, here we go.
Not exactly a huge surprise but once upon a time I worked with a regional set of hospitals coordinating nationwide cause of death reports and statistics.
- 80% of all organ donor tissues cannot be accepted due to safety concerns around organ recovery.
- I won't say how much, but a surprisingly high percentage of successful organ donors are motorcyclists.
- Cheerleading , particularly involving gymnastic/aerobatic actions is one of , if not the leading causes of death for young women under 18.
- Football, is a major cause of CTE, and an unexpectedly large number of football and hockey players die in younger life.
- Gunshot injuries and suicides are seasonal, something you can discern by way of the death-rate in provinces and territories where it is dark for long periods of winter, Seasonal Affective Disorder is no joke. Talk to your physician first but SAD can be treated with Vitamin D and getting as much sunlight exposure as possible.
Medical malpractice. One hears about it, but one doesn't really hear that much about it. It's not reported in the media, there aren't any loud groups screeching about it all the time, but medical malpractice results in around 300,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to the CDC. Compare this to all firearm related deaths, including suicide (which make up about half of all firearm deaths in the U.S.).
I got this one because it was one of the first facts I learned on reddit: a bottle of minced garlic past it's due date. Literally poison and an incredibly painful death.
Omg, I keep mine for months and months. Why isn't there a life or death warning?? Actually I call bs here
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Politicians, they tax people so much they can't afford healthcare, homes etc then have wars and happily send people off to them
I didn't see drowning, it is the second leading cause if death for children under 7. Send your kids to swimming lessons!
I thought it was lack of sex causing hearing loss (a joke of my husband's, and his next response is always "what? I can't hear you.")
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IMPORTANT! there's a deadly addiction that almost everyone is totally unaware of. It's pretty much impossible to cure and health boards and govts. everywhere are avoiding talking about it and trying to keep it under the wraps. The addictive substance here is dihydrogen monoxide, which is totally lethal and withdrawal always causes death. There's a chance that you have this addiction already, and if you do, you're doomed. It has a 100% mortality rate, with no known survivors. It's a clear liquid that most people ingest by drinking. It has no scent. Because of lax laws around dihydrogen monoxide, it's often found in drinks and water supplies. Millions of children have been born addicted and have to be kept on this substance for their lives to avoid death from withdrawal. Dihydrogen monoxide awareness! Look this up for your own safety, I'm not an expert and Google should have some articles on it
The withdrawal is the leading cause, but overdose kill a lot a people too, that is no joke. And it's everywhere, the governments need to take it more seriously. Edit: Don't look this up, it can be truly gruesome.
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Gyms / fitness centres. 100% of fitness fanatics die. Look it up, it’s a fact.
Politicians, they tax people so much they can't afford healthcare, homes etc then have wars and happily send people off to them
I didn't see drowning, it is the second leading cause if death for children under 7. Send your kids to swimming lessons!
I thought it was lack of sex causing hearing loss (a joke of my husband's, and his next response is always "what? I can't hear you.")
Load More Replies... IMPORTANT! there's a deadly addiction that almost everyone is totally unaware of. It's pretty much impossible to cure and health boards and govts. everywhere are avoiding talking about it and trying to keep it under the wraps. The addictive substance here is dihydrogen monoxide, which is totally lethal and withdrawal always causes death. There's a chance that you have this addiction already, and if you do, you're doomed. It has a 100% mortality rate, with no known survivors. It's a clear liquid that most people ingest by drinking. It has no scent. Because of lax laws around dihydrogen monoxide, it's often found in drinks and water supplies. Millions of children have been born addicted and have to be kept on this substance for their lives to avoid death from withdrawal. Dihydrogen monoxide awareness! Look this up for your own safety, I'm not an expert and Google should have some articles on it
The withdrawal is the leading cause, but overdose kill a lot a people too, that is no joke. And it's everywhere, the governments need to take it more seriously. Edit: Don't look this up, it can be truly gruesome.
Load More Replies... Gyms / fitness centres. 100% of fitness fanatics die. Look it up, it’s a fact.
