accidents

Too Much Turmeric

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

Generally, turmeric—a golden-colored staple of curries—is not harmful, particularly in foods. But, as herbal supplements have gained popularity and doses have gotten larger, doctors have reported a rise in liver injuries from the spice. In fact, while rare overall, turmeric appears to have become the most common herbal cause of liver injuries in the US. Woman takes 10x dose of turmeric, gets hospitalized for liver damage – https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/07/woman-takes-10x-dose-of-turmeric-gets-hospitalized-for-liver-damage/

Yikes.

Vapes Clouds Contain Absolutely Horrifying Chemicals

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

“When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken…” Salazar and his colleagues discovered concentrations of toxic forms of metals like nickel, chromium, and antimony in most of the tested vapes. To quickly sum up what makes these metals bad: the type of nickel the researchers detected can cause lung and nasal cancer; chromium is also considered a carcinogen; and antimony can lead to heart and lung problems when inhaled as a dust and cause vomiting when swallowed.

Yikes. https://futurism.com/neoscope/vape-clouds-horrifying-chemicals

Anker PowerCore Model Number A1263 (only 19 reports of fires and explosions!) RECALL

/ SupremeCmdr / 4 Comments

Note: Do not throw this recalled lithium-ion battery or device in the trash, in the general recycling stream (e.g., street-level or curbside recycling bins), or in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. Recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire. Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery or device for disposal. Before taking your battery or device to a HHW collection center, contact it ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance. More than One Million Anker Power Banks Recalled Due to Fire and Burn Hazards; Manufactured by Anker Innovations – https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/More-than-One-Million-Anker-Power-Banks-Recalled-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards-Manufactured-by-Anker-Innovations

Yikes. I was actually thinking of buying a power bank when I heard about this recall.

DUI/DWI for a New Generation

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

I am impressed with the ability of some people to injure themselves in creative ways.

Analyzing data from the 2016-2021 National Inpatient Sample, UCLA researchers found that 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. Published in The American Surgeon, the study also notes that overall scooter-related hospitalizations during the 5-year period jumped more than eight-fold, from 330 to 2705. In addition, the risk of traumatic brain injuries among the substance use group was almost double that of the non-impaired patients. University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences. “Nearly one-quarter of e-Scooter injuries involved substance impaired riders.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250429195329.htm (accessed May 3, 2025).

AND don’t forget about these things can randomly explode.

“In all of these fires, these lithium-ion fires, it is not a slow burn there’s not a small amount of fire, it literally explodes,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh – https://www.statista.com/chart/29472/fires-caused-by-lithium-ion-batteries/

An unexpected event in which an individual comes to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

A fall is defined as an unexpected event in which an individual comes to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level.1 Falls are a leading global health challenge, ranking as the second cause of death from unintentional injuries.2 Over 80% of these fatalities occur in low-income and middle-income countries, with the highest mortality rates observed among individuals aged 60 years and older.3 WHO emphasises environmental and health-related gaps contributing to fall-related mortality, such as limited access to the health-care system and inadequate infrastructure.2 However, the implementation of fall prevention strategies in low-income countries (LICs) and some middle-income countries (MICs) is often hindered by challenges such as data scarcity, inadequate health-care infrastructure, and limited resources.2 In contrast, several high-income countries (HICs) such as Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria found persistently low or even declining rates of fall-related mortality, despite an ageing population.4 Investigating the underlying factors contributing to these trends in HICs is crucial, as it not only provides valuable insights into effective prevention strategies but also serves as a basis for adapting such approaches to resource-constrained settings like LICs and MICs. – Temporal trends and patterns in mortality from falls across 59 high-income and upper-middle-income countries, 1990–2021, with projections up to 2040: a global time-series analysis and modelling study – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(24)00198-3/

Second cause of death from unintentional injuries.

Remember this the next time you underwrite a case where the applicant is my age. Yikes.

It’s 8:00 AM…yes, I’m Thinking About Drinking

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Alcohol use is ubiquitous in the United States, with 84% of adults reporting use at some point. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a serious and persistent disease at the extreme end of alcohol use that contributes heavily to the burden on the healthcare system, with more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year due to the condition. About 6% of people in the United States have AUD. However, only 7.6% of patients with AUD seek treatment, although several pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment options are available. Stephen Soreff. Rapid Rx Quiz: Alcohol Use Disorder Treatments – Medscape – Dec 30, 2024. https://reference.medscape.com/viewarticle/1002119

  • Overall mortality rates increased from 10.7 (95% CI, 10.6-10.8) per 100,000 in 1999 to 21.6 (95% CI, 21.4-21.8) per 100,000 in 2020, representing a significant twofold increase.
  • Adults aged 55-64 years demonstrated both the steepest increase and highest absolute rates in both 1999 and 2020.
  • American Indian and Alaska Native individuals experienced the steepest increase and highest absolute rates among all racial groups.
  • The West region maintained the highest absolute rates in both 1999 and 2020, despite the Midwest showing the largest increase. Edited by Lora McGlade. US Alcohol-Related Deaths Double Over Two Decades, With Notable Age and Gender Disparities – Medscape – November 21, 2024. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/us-alcohol-related-deaths-double-over-two-decades-notable-2024a1000l98?

Nearly 500 years ago, Swiss physician and chemist Paracelsus expressed the basic principle of toxicology: “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.” This is often condensed to: “The dose makes the poison.” It means that a substance that contains toxic properties can cause harm only if it occurs in a high enough concentration. https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/the-dose-makes-the-poison/

Dry January? If you’re doing this trendy behavior you know you drank too much this past holiday season.

Cancer warnings on alcohol? No one will read them.

Trust your intuition. If you’ve ever felt like you drink too much alcohol then you do.

1-800-662-HELP or text 988 for SAMHSA’s National Helpline.

Smartphones, Ultra-Processed Foods, Diminished Family Bonds and Mental Wellness

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

As mental well-being has remained largely static across the world since 2021, so too have the rankings of countries. At the top of the rankings are many Latin American and African countries while much of the core Anglosphere ranks in the bottom quartile. With national wealth indicators such as per capita GDP negatively correlated with average mental well-being scores (see our 2021 report), this year we have made substantial progress in our understanding of why this is so. Two key findings published in Rapid Reports in 2023 show that younger age of first smartphone ownership and ultra-processed food consumption are two major contributors to our mental health challenges. In wealthier countries, the age of first smartphone ownership is much younger and ultra-processed food consumption much higher. Other contributing factors are the relatively diminished family relationships in wealthier countries that are highlighted in our 2022 annual report. The Mental State of the World in 2023 – https://mentalstateoftheworld.report/2023_read/

Another Sunday morning, just reading and connecting the dots.

I’ve downloaded several of these reports and plan to do a deep dive later.

Read these reports and think about it.

Now do something about it.

Hallucinogenic Drugs at a Gas Station Near You!

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Newly released testing data of Diamond Shruumz-brand gummies purchased in 2023 identified the presence of psilocin, a hallucinogenic drug closely related to the magic-mushroom drug psilocybin that is classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside psilocybin, heroin, and LSD. The finding comes as Diamond Shruumz’s current line of gummies, chocolates, and candy cones is being recalled and are under active investigation in connection to a nationwide rash of severe illnesses, which have involved seizures, intubation, and intensive care. As of the latest update on July 15, 69 people in 28 states have been sickened after eating a Diamond Shruumz product. Sixty of the 69 sought medical care, 36 were hospitalized, and there is one potentially associated death under investigation. Illegal drug found in Diamond Shruumz candies linked to severe illnesses — https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/illegal-drug-found-in-diamond-shruumz-candies-linked-to-severe-illnesses/

I’ll stick with my gas station beers, thanks.

Flamethrower + Robot Dog = (fill in the blank)

/ SupremeCmdr / Leave a comment

Thermonator, the first “flamethrower-wielding robot dog,” is legal in 48 US states.

At first I thought this wasn’t real after reading this article but it is.

You can now buy a flame-throwing robot dog for under $10,000 — https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/you-can-now-buy-a-flame-throwing-robot-dog-for-under-10000/

I had to watch the video. I suggest sound off if you don’t want to poop in your pants.

YIKES