Don't mix ____ and ____!!!
January 8, 2012 12:25 PM Subscribe
What are some facts/ bits of information that are important to know to keep ourselves safe?
Every once in awhile, I learn something that I probably should have known much earlier. And then I give thanks that I'm still alive!
Some examples of what I'm thinking of:
Don't mix ammonia and bleach!
Don't give honey to babies under one year old.
Lily of the Valley is poisonous- wash hands after touching!
More, please? I want to live a long and healthy life.
Every once in awhile, I learn something that I probably should have known much earlier. And then I give thanks that I'm still alive!
Some examples of what I'm thinking of:
Don't mix ammonia and bleach!
Don't give honey to babies under one year old.
Lily of the Valley is poisonous- wash hands after touching!
More, please? I want to live a long and healthy life.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Without something more concrete here this is pretty much chatfilter. -- cortex
Don't drive while using your phone. Apparently this isn't widely known.
posted by crabintheocean at 12:39 PM on January 8, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by crabintheocean at 12:39 PM on January 8, 2012 [4 favorites]
Don't take tylenol/acetaminophen for a hangover! Alcohol and acetaminophen are both really hard on your liver, you don't want to mix them.
Also, don't take more than 4000mg of acetaminophen in a day, so watch the labels, especially if you're taking "cold medicine" or [X]-quil or anything else that has a mix of drugs in it.
posted by vytae at 12:42 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, don't take more than 4000mg of acetaminophen in a day, so watch the labels, especially if you're taking "cold medicine" or [X]-quil or anything else that has a mix of drugs in it.
posted by vytae at 12:42 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
The recommended internal temperature that various meats should be before they are cooked enough to eat safely.
How long and at what temperature to store meat and fish before throwing it out.
Wear a helmet while participating in snowsports, no matter how good or how conservative you are, and no matter how stupid you think you look in a helmet.
posted by emilyw at 12:57 PM on January 8, 2012
How long and at what temperature to store meat and fish before throwing it out.
Wear a helmet while participating in snowsports, no matter how good or how conservative you are, and no matter how stupid you think you look in a helmet.
posted by emilyw at 12:57 PM on January 8, 2012
Don't leave home without bottled water (the general guideline is one liter of water per person, per day), some high-energy food (protein bars, a sealed jar of peanut butter, beef jerky, etc), and some warm blankets/coats/etc in the back of the car. That goes double if you live (or will ever drive) where there's snow. For example, this family just survived two days buried in four feet of snow -- they were on a ski trip, so they had plenty of food, water, and warm gear.
posted by vorfeed at 1:04 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by vorfeed at 1:04 PM on January 8, 2012
Beware of your morning grapefruit if you are on medications.
posted by thebrokedown at 1:10 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by thebrokedown at 1:10 PM on January 8, 2012
Ibuprofen should always be taken with food, because it can damage your stomach lining. Interestingly, I only learned of this when told by a doctor; I have never read this warning on any package of ibuprofen I've bought (in Canada; maybe the warnings are present in other countries).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:11 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:11 PM on January 8, 2012
Don't mess around with electricity. Even if you think the power is shut off, first touch any potentially live wires or machinery with the BACK of your hand -- if it's live, the shock will cause your muscles to contract, and by using the back of your hand, you'll reflexively pull AWAY from the danger, rather than TOWARD it.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:34 PM on January 8, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:34 PM on January 8, 2012 [6 favorites]
Be aware of your surroundings, whether at home or in a supermarket or movie theater. Make it a point to note where all the exits are. In case of an emergency (particularly a fire) the majority of people in a public place will automatically try to exit via the same door where they entered the building, causing stampedes and blocked doors. At home, your regular means of egress might be blocked by flames. Knowing alternate exits can save your life.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:35 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:35 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
Never give a dog chocolate - it's poisonous for them.
posted by insectosaurus at 2:13 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by insectosaurus at 2:13 PM on January 8, 2012
Related to what Oriole Adams said, don't install door locks that require a key to be opened from inside. And if those are already installed where you live, keep a key permanently attached by a chain or string near the door so it will be there if you need to exit in a hurry.
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:16 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:16 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
My advice is a little counter-intuitive. Don't sit at the computer you're reading this on for more than another fifteen minutes.
Exercise every day, make it essential, an easy way to do this might be getting rid of your car and biking to work. Even in bike unfriendly places, the risks of cycling are far outweighed by the risks of not exercising; the metabolic syndrome, depression, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes associated with being sedentary. A violent death, or things like acute poisoning, are fantastically unlikely compared with the truly dangerous things that are going to do most of us in, TV, cars, computers and other things that make us sit down.
Lift weights. You have to make sure you find someone who can show you proper form for your safety, and it does have inherent risk, but the benefits to your safety far outweigh it. Even if you have no desire to become some kind of walking mountain of meat, gaining some muscle mass makes you a hell of a lot safer in a lot of contexts. Our endocrine and cardiovascular systems are built for a lot more muscle mass than most people currently have, and more muscle mass helps you better regulate blood sugar, mood, angiogenesis, adipocyte population and activity, and total fat mass. Having more muscle would also help in any kind of violent scenario, from fights to car crashes, by acting like a kind of meat armor protecting your vitals and holding your joints together as well as giving you more strength and endurance to get yourself and possibly others out alive.
posted by Blasdelb at 2:38 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
Exercise every day, make it essential, an easy way to do this might be getting rid of your car and biking to work. Even in bike unfriendly places, the risks of cycling are far outweighed by the risks of not exercising; the metabolic syndrome, depression, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes associated with being sedentary. A violent death, or things like acute poisoning, are fantastically unlikely compared with the truly dangerous things that are going to do most of us in, TV, cars, computers and other things that make us sit down.
Lift weights. You have to make sure you find someone who can show you proper form for your safety, and it does have inherent risk, but the benefits to your safety far outweigh it. Even if you have no desire to become some kind of walking mountain of meat, gaining some muscle mass makes you a hell of a lot safer in a lot of contexts. Our endocrine and cardiovascular systems are built for a lot more muscle mass than most people currently have, and more muscle mass helps you better regulate blood sugar, mood, angiogenesis, adipocyte population and activity, and total fat mass. Having more muscle would also help in any kind of violent scenario, from fights to car crashes, by acting like a kind of meat armor protecting your vitals and holding your joints together as well as giving you more strength and endurance to get yourself and possibly others out alive.
posted by Blasdelb at 2:38 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
If you can actually smell it easily / strongly (meat and esp. fish) it isn't fresh, whatever the use-by date says. It might taste OK if you cook it, but it is likely not to be ...
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 2:40 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 2:40 PM on January 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, rhododendrons are everywhere but pretty poisonous both to animals and people who might eat their plant matter or honey collected from bees who ate their nectar.
posted by Blasdelb at 2:43 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by Blasdelb at 2:43 PM on January 8, 2012
When driving, cycling, or walking, assume every driver is drunk, sleepy, texting, and homicidal.
posted by cyndigo at 2:43 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by cyndigo at 2:43 PM on January 8, 2012 [2 favorites]
Treat button batteries as a hazardous material for infants and young children.
Really dangerous for anyone who swallows one!
posted by scooterdog at 2:47 PM on January 8, 2012
Really dangerous for anyone who swallows one!
posted by scooterdog at 2:47 PM on January 8, 2012
I had a friend who almost died because she overdosed on Azo-Standard by taking it to many days in a row and it became toxic in her body, she was in the hospital several days. My mother-in-law was taking a blood pressure pill that was causing her to not excrete her potassium and it became critically high, took a trip to ER to find that out.
Always read the instructions on medicine bottles, it is there for a reason. If you start showing odd symptoms read the side effects of any medicines you are taking.
posted by sandyp at 2:50 PM on January 8, 2012
Always read the instructions on medicine bottles, it is there for a reason. If you start showing odd symptoms read the side effects of any medicines you are taking.
posted by sandyp at 2:50 PM on January 8, 2012
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posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:30 PM on January 8, 2012