Who knew yard work was so dangerous?
Green is good, right? Well, not always. Especially when it comes to a lawns that gets their emerald greenness via heavy doses of chemicals, fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. Those chemicals are associated with everything from breathing problems to certain types of cancers in humans (not to mention dogs and cats). A new study even found a disturbing link between lawn chemicals and Attention Deficit Disorder.
No big surprise that this Texas terror tool can inflict some pretty mass destruction. In fact, each year, about 36,000 of us are rushed to the ER for chainsaw-related injuries. And doctors almost always see an uptick of injures following thunderstorms, hurricanes and other natural disasters, as chainsaws are busted out to take care of fallen trees and branches.
Getting stung by a wasp or a bee is one of the most unpleasant sensations known to man. For some of us, it can even be downright deadly. About 100 Americans die each year due to allergic reactions to insect bites or stings. If you're allergic, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, keep emergency supplies, like adrenaline, on hand, and try not to walk around with sweet beverage in hand, since bees love them as much as we do.
Around 80,000 of us are sent to the hospital each year by what many see as man's second best friend—the lawnmower. This usually happens after a stick or a rock ricochets off the blade of our dear old John Deere, flies through the air, then shoots us right in the eye. But other injuries are even more gruesome, including the occasional fractured (or missing) foot. Keep in mind that, according to a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the majority of lawnmower injuries happen to children younger than 15 and adults over 60. So think twice next time Junior or Great Grandpa asks if they can help out by mowing the lawn. And take care of your own face by wearing safety goggles.
Just as much as kids love playing in a sandbox, so too do cats love pooping them. After all, they're basically super-sized litter boxes. Just be sure to keep your sandbox covered so you can protect the kids from toxoplasmosis, a nasty little parasite often found in cat feces.