They’re two staples of a summer day in the Northeast: a backyard grill and a bottle of sunscreen. Why not reapply some sunscreen before you prepare for a long session cooking some meats? It’s not such a good idea if your sunscreen is the spray-on kind. Sure, the can says “flammable,” but it didn’t occur to a Massachusetts man that this statement is also true after the sunscreen is on your skin, for several minutes after application. He applied some Banana Boat Sport aerosol sunscreen, walked over to his charcoal grill, and was engulfed in flames. He ended up with second-degree burns on his upper body. Way more painful than a sunburn…but no excuse to skip putting on sunscreen. [More]
safety
Recall Roundup – Banzai Inflatable Slides, Kolkraft Bassinets, And More
By 5.10.12
There are some particularly scary recalls this week, including a massive pet food recall for dog foods manufactured by Diamond, some bassinets that might collapse and hurtle babies, and those Banzai water slides are finally being recalled after allegedly killing one person and paralyzing another. [More]
Recall Roundup: Beware Of The Dancing Teapot
By 3.8.12
In this edition of the Recall Roundup, a scary number of bicycle parts are recalled, grass cutters might cut humans, and we learn that a “dancing teapot” (pictured) is a lot less fun than the name makes it sound. Especially when it burns you. [More]
Study: No Amount Of Boozing Is Safe For Pregnant Women
By 1.19.12
The medical consensus holds that pregnant women need to stop drinking in order to avoid harming their babies, but some conventional wisdom and myths temper that advice with the understanding that an occasional drink is OK. The latter line of thinking — reflected half-mockingly in the latest episode of Justified — is false and potentially dangerous, according to a University of California San Diego study. [More]
Radioactive Tissue Boxes Removed From Bed, Bath & Beyond Shelves – No, Really
By 1.13.12
When shipments bound for California Bed, Bath and Beyond stores set off radiation sensors at a truck scale, Bed, Bath and Beyond discovered that it had been stocking tissue-box covers mysteriously contaminated with low levels of cobalt-60. The radiation level isn’t enough to cause real harm to humans–the equivalent of a few chest x-rays over the course of a year if you happened to keep them in your bathroom. [More]
Penis Tattoo Gives Man A Permanent Erection
By 1.10.12
Thinking of getting a penis tattoo? Apparently, they come with the risk of a permanent erection. Let’s see if we can get through this one without a Jason Stackhouse joke… Nope! [More]
A Guide To Ensuring Your Entire House Does Not Become Your Fireplace
By 11.16.11
There’s a certain romance to a crackling fire warming up a cold November night, but if you go through the motions without ensuring your fireplace is safe you could be lighting the way to disaster. Unkempt fireplaces can spark dangers ranging from house fires to skin burns and air poisoning. [More]
Apple Will Replace First-Gen iPod Nanos For Overheating Risks
By 11.14.11
If you have an iPod nano sold between Sep ’05 and Dec ’06, you could be eligible for a replacement under a new worldwide recall issued by Apple to deal with battery heating issues. [More]
What's Worse Than Missing A Cool Text? How About Involuntary Manslaughter?
By 11.2.11
Pull over if you’re driving and need to respond to or send a text message. Otherwise, that witty reply can wait. Because death won’t. [More]
71 Drivers Cross A Defective Bridge In Chicago Every Second
By 10.20.11
A new study says that 71 drivers in Chicago cross a structurally defective bridge every second. [More]
Big Drop In Car Crashes Tracks With Blackberry Outage
By 10.18.11
The big Blackberry outage is having an unexpected positive side-benefit. During the days the Blackberry service was out, there’s been far fewer traffic accidents. [More]
Big Sony Bravia TV Fire Recall Is Only In Japan, But US Models May Be Affected
By 10.12.11
Headlines are blaring about the 1.6 million 40″ Sony Bravia TVs getting recalled for fire and smoke risk, but they’re overlooking a key fact. The recalled models were only sold in Japan. No recall has been issued in America. However, there are 400,000 models that were sold in the US that contain the same component that prompted the Japan recall. Here are the Sony Bravia TV model numbers you should check to see if you have. [More]
Man Sues After Eating Listeria-Tainted Cantaloupe
By 10.5.11
Cantaloupe tainted by listeria have led to 13 deaths, and now, a lawsuit against Jensen Farms and Walmart. [More]
Daycare Owner Doped Kids To Make Them Go To Sleep
By 9.9.11
A daycare owner in Texas was arrested by police for mixing antihistamines into the kids’ milk to make them fall asleep. [More]
Copper Thieves Disable 40 Blocks Of Street Lights, Leading To Near-Fatal Car Crash
By 9.9.11
Miami police are placing partial blame for a car crash that threw a woman through a windshield on a recent spree of people stealing copper from street lights. In the neighborhood, there are 40 straight blocks where all the street lights are dark because of copper thieves. [More]
Texas Ups Speed Limit To 85 MPH
By 9.1.11
Put the pedal to the metal and get it in gear, today the max speed limit in Texas was officially raise to 85 MPH. Woohoo, yee-doggy! [More]
Philips Recalls 1.86 Million Potentially Plummeting Compact Fluorescent Flood Lamps
By 8.22.11
Philips and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a few weeks ago the recall of about 1.86 million compact fluorescent floodlamps sold under the EnergySaver and Marathon brands between 2007 and 2010. The reflector around the lamp can come unglued, shattering on the ground or floor. This actually happened to a Consumerist reader, who sent in photos of the glass-shard carnage. [More]
28 Get Rabies Shots After Apt Complex Infested With Bats
By 8.8.11
28 different people have had rabies shots as a precaution against the horde of bats that have infested a Baltimore-area apartment complex. [More]
