Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with fluid

I hate the smell of lighter fluid in the evening

bugsoup — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:10:41 -0800

My downstairs neighbors use lighter fluid for their charcoal grill and the fumes fill our condo if we aren't home. What are the specific health hazards of the fumes from charcoal lighter fluid? The condo I live in has three floors of identical units. We left the sliding glass door that leads to our porch slightly ajar while we went to eat. Our downstairs neighbors have a charcoal grill (not allowed to have propane per condo rules) on their porch directly under ours and I came home from dinner tonight to a house that smells like lighter fluid. It's actually hard to breathe and I got light-headed just running around opening the rest of our windows.

I'd like to buy them a chimney starter as a good will gesture and ask them to stop using the lighter fluid for their grill. I figured it would be good to know the health hazards of the fumes and smoke from the buring fluid before I stomp downstairs and complain, but I'm having a hard time finding information.

Any information for the health risks of inhaling burned lighter fluid fumes would be great.

If you have any advice or experience dealing with downstairs neighbors and their barbeque hazards, those could be useful as well.

Water Sucks

netbros — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:18:09 -0800

It seems obvious, but what is the best liquid to drink to prevent dehydration in a desert environment? My father is a stubborn old coot. He does not like water, never has, never will. He isn't about to change in his eighties either. Last summer we went on a vacation to Grand Canyon West. We did all the touristy stuff, walked the Skywalk, rafted the Colorado River, and hiked the canyon rim.

One of the days there, Dad showed all the outward signs of dehydration. Air temperature was well above 100 with single digit humidity, typical Arizona desert summer conditions. All he would drink was his favorite Diet Coke. We told him he was looking dehydrated and needed to guzzle water. He said Diet Coke is mostly water, it has no sugar, it would be perfectly fine for hydration.

To shorten the story, we eventually got him to drink water and everything turned out fine. But the question has remained. Intuitively, it would seem that Diet Coke or some other soda would not be the best solution for desert hydration. Why not, and what are the best fluids to drink when in that situation?

Ears the problem...

Oriole Adams — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:11:25 -0800

Ear filter: Is there an over the counter medication that is similar to the prescription version of Allegra D? (Long story inside.) I've posted previously about my chronic sinus problems. In the past few months, however, I've noticed a "full" feeling in my left ear, and whenever I slept on that side my ear felt especially "warm." I also occasionally heard very small popping sounds (along the lines of small Rice Krispies pops) in that ear. During my most recent visit ( a week ago) to my rheumatologist (who is also my primary care physician) I mentioned the problem, and she peeked inside. She said the eardrum was dull (it's supposed to be shiny) and she said that that was a symptom of fluid behind the eardrum. She also said that based on my symptoms she didn't think I had an inner ear infection and gave me some samples of prescription strength Allegra D. After taking the first couple, the fullness feeling was gone, but I still hear that "popping" sound now and then. Two weeks have passed since I used up the last Allegra pill, and I'm starting to feel that ear fullness again.

What would cause fluid behind the eardrum? Should I call and ask for a full month's Rx of Allegra D? Or is there a similar over-the-counter decongestant that would work as well? Could this ear fluid be connected to my constant nasal congestion? (For what it's worth, my previous rheumatologist, who passed away a few years ago, used a tuning fork on top of my head to discern that I did have some hearing loss. I'd had many severe ear infections as a child, but he seemed to think that the hearing loss was more likely due to the small stroke I'd had as a result of anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome.)

So what's the hive mind verdict? Should I press my doctor for further sinus/ear tests (maybe an MRI or something)? Or will a steady dose of decongestants clear up this ear thing?

:-(

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 19:12:02 -0800

My neck cracking habit is killing me. I crack my neck all the time. Some days it happens more than other days but I do it every single day at least 4 times.

On days where it's really bad I will crack my neck everytime I get a chance and my head neck and shoulders will feel sore all day long. Most of the time I use my hands to press my chin up to the side. Sometimes the tips of my fingers feel numb right after I crack it.

This is a disgusting, repulsive, terrible habit. I remember being totally grossed out by neck cracking before I started myself.

My mother who has the same unfortunate habit went to a chiropractor who told her that there were many cases of people who had quite literally *killed themselves* with overenthusiastic neck cracking. I have absolutely no doubt that if this is indeed possible it will happen to me if I do not stop soon.

I've tried before to stop. But then that tense/stiff feeling just builds up until I can't stand it until *snap crackle pop* ((bliss))

I want to be like how I was before I started this terrible habit when my neck just felt normal all the time. This is making me miserable. I can't afford to see a chiropractor on a regular basis.

Please, for the love of mankind, help me.

Question number 10221

scody — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 16:14:12 -0800

AutoFilter (1995 Nissan Sentra): I need to refill my power steering fluid. My manual (which has been known to be misleading before) says to use "Dexron-II power steering fluid or equivalent." Lady behind the Autozone counter says there's no such thing, because Dexron only makes transmission fluid. She says transmission fluid and power steering fluid are interchangeable "for some cars"; guy behind me in line freaks out and says I'll destroy my power steering if I do.

I just want to know which bottle of stuff to spend a couple of bucks on so I quit hearing that creaking sound when I turn. My trusty mechanic Rich is on vacation, so I turn (heh) to you, good Mefites, in his stead!

Question number 8305

badstone — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 14:27:22 -0800

I've occasionally heard it said that "For a bacteria, moving through water is like a person trying to wade through liquid concrete" (or jello, or mud, or whatever...) What is a good layman's explanation for this scaling of viscosity? Is it simply that at the scale of a bacterium, the strength of the intermolecular forces in a fluid are more comparable to the strength that a bacterium has to push itself through the fluid, or is there something deeper to it?