19 Things Way More Dangerous Than Sharks
Unprovoked sharks attack about 75 people annually, with about six of these attacks resulting in fatalities. Here are 19 things that are more dangerous than sharks (H/T BuzzFeed):
1. Sex
In 1981, two researchers estimated there are 11,000sex-related deaths each year.
2. Skiing
An average of 41.5 people die while skiing or snowboarding each year.
3. Hot dogs, balloons and other choking hazards: 22 deaths per year
4. Hot tap-water
The CDC reports that scalding from hot tap-water caused 452 deaths over a ten-year period.
5. Icicles: 150 injuries in 2010
6. Chairs
Falls involving chairs caused more than 2,000 deaths between 1999 and 2010.
7. Oysters on the half shell
Vibriosis -- a potentially lethal, though rare, bacteria associated with eating raw oysters -- is responsible for about 15 deaths per year.
8. Room fresheners
There were 2,600 room freshener injuries in 1996. (Sharks attacked 13 people that year.)
9. Volcanoes: 845 deaths
10. Being a baker, chef or cook
In 2008, there were 65 deaths in food preparation occupations.
11. Christmas trees
Festooned trees injure 1,000 people annually.
12. Toys
Toys, including balls, darts and tricycles, caused 20 deaths in 2005. (The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled WHAM-O Slip ‘N Slides in 1993, due to reports of paralysis and neck injuries.)
13. Gun accidents
The accidental discharge of firearms killed 606 people in the U.S. in 2010.
14. Trampolines
In 2006, 4,700 hospitalizations or deaths resulted from trampoline accidents.
15. Grooming pubic hairs
Shaving, waxing and trimming nether regions led to an estimated 11,700 emergency department visits from 2002 to 2010.
16. Hospitals
[sharksaremybabies.tumblr.com]
Bad care at hospitals is linked to the deaths of 180,000 Medicare patients annually.
17. Toilets
About 43,000 Americans had accidents involving toilets in 1996.
18. Constipation
Between 1999 and 2010, constipation was the cause of 150 deaths per year.