We like to think that we are fairly knowledgeable about the contents of our kitchen, bathroom, and medicine cabinets, as well as which products are hazardous and how they all operate and interact with one another. But because of how complicated the world is, it’s frequently difficult to keep track of everything at once. Unfortunately, even the finest of us are frequently nearly entirely oblivious of the deadly items that are hidden in our homes.
Bleach And Ammonia Cleaners
Most people are unaware that many cleaning solutions actually contain ammonia, and those that don’t very certainly do so contain bleach. Since most people aren’t even aware of how powerful ammonia is — or even what it is — many also are not aware that when ammonia and bleach are mixed together, they form something called chloramine gas, which is often confused with tear gas due to its milder, but similar effects.
Cinnamon
The majority of individuals are wise enough to avoid the cinnamon challenge, if for no other reason than choking hazards, but it can still be quite dangerous even without that kind of abuse. There are two kinds of cinnamon: Ceylon Cinnamon and Cassia Cinnamon. These two types have an important difference, which is that one has much more of the active compound that can cause liver damage than the other.
Air Fresheners
People don’t typically tend to think too deeply about air fresheners, but they can be quite dangerous for our pets. The problem is that these air fresheners are not just releasing safe organic compounds into the air. They are actually using something called volatile organic compounds, which are known to potentially cause cancer in animals.
Deodorant
It should be noted, first and foremost, that spray-on deodorants have clearly written warning labels, but due to an alarming number of incidents where teens have lost their lives, some are questioning if that’s nearly enough. A report from the United Kingdom found 11 deaths attributed to this cause in the time period of 2001 to 2020. While this is not a huge number, it’s far more than it should be, as it’s an entirely preventable cause of death.
Nutmeg
Most people think of nutmeg as just a spice for eggnog and cakes, but it actually contains an active compound called myristicin, which can have very strong effects. This active compound in nutmeg is rarely ingested in quantities large enough to have any effects on us. A little bit sprinkled on eggnog or a teaspoon in an entire cake isn’t likely to have much effect. However, at just a teaspoon or two, depending on the weight of the person, it can start to cause myristicin toxicity. There are no known deaths on record.
