On This Episode Of "Adult Things Nobody Taught Me," Here Are 23 Everyday, Unexpected Things That Can Kill You

Listen — we all know the internet can be a horrific, dark place, but it can also be an incredible resource that teaches you things you're shocked you had no idea about. You know — those things that you feel like there should've been a high school "how to be an adult" class on? Well, this post is exactly what I'm talking about here. Both Redditors and members of the BuzzFeed Community shared the simple — and sometimes seemingly harmless things — that, believe it or not, can actually kill you. I'll be honest, I had no idea about half of these, and these people have probably saved my butt a time or two. Here are 23 unexpectedly deadly things they shared:

1."Leaving food out on the counter."

—u/Ok_Application7142

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"I made garlic-infused olive oil once. Left it out because that’s how I always saw it on people's counters. Used it a few weeks later. I got botulism. I was out for four whole days, writhing in pain with nothing left to expel. Turns out, I could have died."

—u/Zabroccoli

The USDA advises not to leave food out for more than two hours in cool weather and one hour if it's 90º or higher. Temperatures of 40 to 140º are the "danger zone" for bacterial growth, with the amount of bacteria doubling in as little as 20 minutes.

2."Garage door springs."

—u/TheDarkRabbit

"My father-in-law drunkenly pulled the emergency release red cord on our very old, SOLID wood garage door. The door fell down with such force that it dislodged the spring, and that thing shot right through the wooden garage door, shattering it into a million pieces! It was the most terrifying moment. Had that spring shot in the other direction, there would have been multiple fatalities, I’m sure of it."

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—u/Ambrosia0201

3."Cat and dog bites. My cat bit me, and I ended up in surgery because the infection was anaerobic. I could have lost my thumb or gotten sepsis. Go to a doctor to get an animal bite cleaned."

—sdk

"Cat scratches, too, especially for people with compromised immune systems."

—jcorey1513

Contrary to the name, both cat scratches and bites can lead to Cat Scratch Fever — a bacterial infection your cat can give you if they've been bitten by a flea.

Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

4."Giving infants water to drink. It doesn't have to be much; water intoxication can kill them very easily."

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—u/19Thanatos83

5."For adults: Drinking lots of water while also trying to be 'healthy' by going low-sodium can mess you up badly if your potassium levels go too low. I did that and spent a week in a coma."

"Now I have to take supplements, drink lots of Gatorade, and put lots of salt in/on my foods, or my blood pressure plunges, and I have to worry about falling in the shower because my compression socks are off."

—shelleye

"Water toxicity isn't limited to babies, BTW. Once I got a migraine on a hot day. I called the doctor, and he told me to drink more water. So I did. It got worse, and I started to get nauseated. He said, again, to drink more water. So I did. He failed to ask, at the beginning, how much water I had already been drinking. Which was A LOT. More than most people.

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Cut to later that day. I came to in my sister's living room. I had made it there on the bus, but I didn't remember how. I was confused and acting really weird. I had thrown up several times, then I fell asleep. She thought I was just really sick. I realized later that I had water toxicity. I could've died, all because the doctor didn't bother to ask how much water I was drinking and assumed my migraine (which I got ALL the time) had been from dehydration. There is too much of a good thing."

—pandamama710

When things like overconsuming water affect the sodium levels in your blood (like the latter story), it's called hyponatremia. When this, like in the former case, affects your potassium levels specifically (as potassium is an electrolyte), it's calledhypokalemia.

6."Rags covered in linseed oil can spontaneously combust when left in a pile. I randomly discovered this fact in a Reddit post titled, "The new guy burned down our workshop." A carpenter I know confirmed that this is a real thing. I've been getting into refinishing old furniture, so I'm glad I learned this now. You'd think it'd be more common knowledge!"

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—u/doctor_x

"I'm sure most people know this, but it doesn't have to be linseed oil; basically any type of combustible liquid can have the same reaction. Oil, gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, etc. Always store your dirty rags in a metal, fireproof canister designed for that purpose.

Bonus items that can, under the right circumstances, burst into flames: grains, animal manure, hay, woodchips. While some people just want to see the world burn, some seemingly benign items do, too."

—srandlett25

"My cousin nearly died in a house fire from this. My aunt's dog saved his life. And yes, they both survived."

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—kelseyc48a791d61

According to NASA, this is a reaction known asauto-oxidation. Essentially, linseed oil — which is a "self-ignition combustible" — reacts with the oxygen in the air and can spontaneously heat, thus causing a fire.

7."A dental infection. I went to grief support meetings, and a woman there lost her son to an impacted tooth that spread infection to his brain."

—u/jefuchs

"I worked in a dental office for a good while, and we had a patient with chronic periodontal disease and a small tooth abscess that wasn't coming in for treatments as directed, and wasn't taking prescribed antibiotics as directed. Next thing we heard, she was in the ICU with endocarditis, among other things that they linked directly to the infection in her mouth. She survived and got some of it treated in the hospital, but as soon as she could, she was in our office like clockwork for the rest of her treatments."

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—s45b9ebeb9

Eugenio Marongiu / Getty Images/Image Source

8."If potatoes are not stored properly and become rotten, they produce a toxic gas called solanine and can make a person unconscious if they’ve inhaled enough, and result in death in some cases. There was a news article back in 2013 of an entire family in Russia that was killed by it."

—u/Moon_Jewel90

"I about died from this as a kid. My grandma had a potato box in her kitchen, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was a wooden box about the size of a trash can and had a lid on top that she stored potatoes in. When I was 10 or so, I was playing in the kitchen, and I got curious about it. I was never especially interested because, like, it was a potato box. What do I wanna look at some potatoes for? But for whatever reason, I got curious, opened the lid, and woke up on the floor sometime later with my chest burning so badly that I could barely draw breath to cry for what felt like ages. I didn't find out why exactly that happened until I was an adult and saw a comment like this on Reddit, but I was scared to even go NEAR that damn potato box for the rest of my childhood."

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—u/Zazulio

9."Flowing water that is only inches deep can still have the strength to sweep you away if you’re not careful."

—u/akumamatata8080

"When I was a kid, one of my friends died this way. The family was crossing a shallow river in aLandcruiser Troopcarrier with lifted suspension, and the undercurrent swept the car away immediately. The mom, dad, and sister escaped in time, but my mate (around 7 years old) couldn’t undo his seatbelt fast enough and drowned."

—u/Mike9601and u/commiecomrade

10."Mixing bleach and ammonia when you clean produces a toxic gas that will make you REALLY sick. "

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—u/Any_Assumption_2023

"This is why you don't use bleach to clean litter boxes!"

—j458091739

Bleach + ammonia =chloramine gas, which — when inhaled — can cause coughing, nausea, shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, pneumonia, and fluid in the lungs.

11."Pressure washers are quite lethal."

—u/floydie1962

"Can confirm: pressure washers are dangerous. Mine stripped a layer of my sandal sole off when I accidentally blasted my foot with it, and it stung for about a day. It wasn't a super duper ultra-powerful pressure washer, either."

—u/swithinboy59

"I was just using one about a month ago, and like a dummy, I stuck my hand out and it sliced my finger wide open. It was just like getting cut with a dull knife, it hurt like a MF."

—zmyersmyers"

5m3photos / Getty Images

12."Going to sleep while drunk and choking on your own vomit. Always lay your drunk friends on their side and lift their chin to open their airways. DO NOT lay them on their backs. My friend died from this at age 32."

—u/K8syk8

13."Slipping down the stairs. Yes, some people know stairs can be dangerous, but many don’t realize how deadly residential stairs can be."

—u/Parking_War_4100

"Did that. Got a concussion and five staples in my head."

—u/thebeamingbean

14."Ladders. People think you have to fall far to get hurt or die. Eight feet is plenty."

—u/Ancient-Valuables

"I was always told falling your own height can kill you."

—u/Quality_Street_1

15."Tylenol. The dangerous dosage is only about four times the therapeutic dosage."

—u/Waltzing_With_Bears

Taking Tylenol as intended can provide pain relief, but taking more than the advised dosage can have serious medical consequences, such as permanent liver damage, seizures, coma, and death.

16."A lot of medication interactions. Mucinex DM with antidepressants, Tylenol for a hangover. Always look up the potential drug interactions of medications. Every time. I've had doctors give me some deadly cocktails because they neglected to check them against the meds I was already taking. It happens more than you'd think."

—u/otterboviously

"My grandfather nearly died a few months ago because his doctor prescribed him a medication that interacted with one he was already taking, because he couldn’t be bothered to check. I’ve also had medications prescribed that would interact with ones I was already taking. Always ask your doctor about interactions, because they won’t always check."

—anonynasty

There are tons of handy drug interaction checkers online; however, always make sure to ask your pharmacist or doctor if you're uncertain. This is also true for over-the-counter medications and supplements, not just prescription medication.

Shana Novak / Getty Images

17."Party buses. My wife's cousin was on one a couple of years ago. They were all dancing on the bus while it was driving on the 101 freeway in LA. She slipped and fell against the door, which gave way. She fell out of the bus and was immediately run over by a car. There wasn't much left of her, closed casket for sure. She was celebrating her 30th birthday, but instead, she died and left behind 5 kids, all under 10."

—u/bowlskioctavekitten

18."Cheerleading. I had an accident and almost died because one of my teammates lost their balance while I was on top, and I fell. I broke my neck and I haven't been able to walk or move most of my body again since."

—u/Glum_Benefit3704

19."Other people mowing the lawn. My stepdad was cutting the grass 300-400 ft from the house. He hit a rock and it flew all the way to the house, through two panes of glass, and between me and my mom sitting by the window It shattered the glass on the oven door."

"I had always heard about the dangers of being around running lawnmowers, but didn't think much about it. That rock could have blinded or killed someone. Now I know, but people think I am nuts when I tell them to put their kids in the house when cutting the grass."

—luckyangel30

20."Playing in a deep hole at the beach. Everyone forgets how heavy dirt actually is."

—u/GuiltyLawyerandu/Is_Unable

"When I was a little kid, there was a construction project at my school, and there were trenches. They did a demonstration where they took the strongest kid in the school of 1,000 students and had him lie down on the stage. Someone placed a bucket of soil on his chest, and then he tried to stand up. He couldn’t move it. They even supported the bucket to make sure he wouldn’t get hurt from it being too much weight. That was educational."

—u/St_Kevin_

Cavan Images / Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

21."Hitting your head. r/TBI is full of stories about simple slips and falls that resulted in death and lasting effects. I simply fell on ice at work once. Bam! Unconscious. I woke up saying I was OK but got talked into getting in an ambulance. I started dying in the ambulance from a severe brain bleed. I was in a coma and was expected to die, but I survived. I lost most of my memory, emotional stability, the ability to easily make new memories, and a ton of IQ. Still…in all, I’m not dead!"

—u/cbelt3

"Always protect your head! I worked in a mental hospital with a Neurology Department. We had SO MANY kids and grown folks who had serious brain damage from a head blow that didn't seem that serious at first. In particular, I remember a little boy who was climbing a fence and fell, hitting the concrete below. He ended up in a wheelchair with a mental age of 2-3 years for life.

In addition, you would be shocked at how many women ended up having seizures and brain damage from being whacked in the head by their men."

—luckyangel30

22."A grape. My wife had a friend/coworker whose young daughter choked to death in front of her and her mother. They tried to dislodge the grape, but nothing worked. By the time an ambulance got there, the girl was brain dead. It's about the worst thing I can imagine as a parent. We were cutting our kids' grapes in half until they were 10 after that happened."

—u/jpiro

23.And finally, "Confined spaces. If it only has one way in and out, especially if it is below ground, there is a very real possibility that there isn't enough oxygen in there to support life. Even something as simple as rusting metal can remove the oxygen from the air, and if there isn't airflow going through the space, the oxygen-depleted air won't be replaced. Other processes can remove oxygen or produce actively toxic gases. This sort of thing often kills more than one person, as the first person to find the victim goes in to rescue them and becomes the second victim."

—u/SuspiciouslyMoist

Do you know of a simple thing like these that can accidentally kill people? If so, tell us about it in the comments below.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length, clarity, and factual accuracy.