40,000 toilet-related injuries in the US, Every Year

The odds are 1 out of 10,000 that you will get a toilet-related injury this year!One of the most common causes of toilet injuries are young boys taking a pee and the toilet seat lands on their pecker. Also smaller children run the risk of drowning if they fall headfirst into the toilet. Injuries to adults include bruised buttocks, tail bones, and dislocated hips from unsuspectingly sitting on the toilet bowl rim due to failure to ensure that the toilet seat was down. Other injuries can be caused by the feet slipping or the toilet bowl collapsing under the weight of the occupant. Pinch injuries can also occur due to splits in plastic seats, and to the various parts of a seat in different configurations.

Injuries can also be caused by animals! Black Widow spiders like to hide under the toilet seat because insect abound in and around it making it a nice place to nest. If you’re in an outhouse toilet, be aware they are more likely to be there. :)

Some instances of toilet-related deaths are attributed to the drop in blood pressure due to the parasympathetic nervous system during bowel movements. This effect may be magnified by existing circulatory issues. It is further possible that people succumb on the toilet to chronic constipation, because the Valsalva maneuver is often dangerously used to aid in the expulsion of feces from the rectum during a bowel movement. The “Valsalva maneuver … occurs during straining to pass a hardened stool.” “If defecation is suppressed over long periods, problems can occur, such as constipation or stool impaction. Defecation can be facilitated by the Valsalva maneuver. This maneuver involves contraction of the chest muscles on a closed glottis with simultaneous contraction of the abdominal muscles.” This means that people can die while “straining a poo” 😀