July 13, 2015

Crap Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

An electrical short can occur in this treadmills' motor, causing electrocution, shock and fire hazards.

In the period 2003-2012 there were 30 reported deaths in the US associated with treadmills. Reports show how this health product may unexpectedly accelerate, electrocute users and start on fire.

Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the US alone more than $1 trillion annually.

Not only does the consumer culture kill, injure and maim, it is also extremely expensive.


Is there a reasonable risk of injury or death? What consumer products have a reasonable or acceptable risk of injury or death?

Most of them? All of them? If not directly, then at least indirectly from the hazards associated with the resource extraction, manufacture, transportation, use and disposal cycle that everything we buy goes through.

But some have been demonstrated to be directly deadly.


The following is a tiny selection of the items recalled in 2014.

- a children's hoody that could strangle the wearer.

- a children's swing that could disconnect.

- a TV that can fall from its cracked base.

- a crossbow that can fire without the trigger being pulled.

- a toilet system that can burst and shatter the toilet tank.

- cocktail glasses that can break unexpectedly.

See here for the complete 32 page list from last year. All are consumer products that have been known to cause death or injury, or cause property damage.

You  can also enter a product name on the site to see if there have been any recalls of things you may be thinking of buying, or already have in your home.

Crap kills. Or injures. Or burns your planet down. Best to stay away from as much of it as possible, whether officially flagged by the CPSC or not.


  1. The Tv commercials ate driving me mad with all the crap advertised, it is absolutely mad! My last ever tv for sure. The radio and post aren't any better. Junk mail advertising more junk. Pam in Norway

    1. It is a subtle (or not so subtle) form of psychological torture.

  2. Anonymous7/14/2015

    Hi there,

    I just wanted to drop by with a comment to give my support to your blog and your way of life!
    I have been reading your blog regularly for some time. just wanted to say thanks!1

    Ben from Singapore

    1. So good to hear from you. Thanks for reading, and for dropping us a note. Your encouragement is appreciated.

  3. Yes, I am on this page. A lot of crap manufactured today is likely not safe on some level.

    Another aspect of this is de-regulation has not helped with faulty and dangerous "crap" being produced and sold to us in mass.

    A few years ago, I had a small kitchen fire from warming a cookie up in a toaster over. It was faulty wiring in the toaster oven that started the fire, not the cookie. It was bad enough I had to call the fire department. Flames were shooting up the wall. I had gotten the fire out by the time about a half dozen firefighters rapidly filed into my apartment. Place was full of toxic smoke.

    The firefighter in charge went over to my kitchen counter, shook his head and said, "We've seen a lot of fires started by this brands toaster ovens in the past few years."

    Fortunately they brought in a very large fan which instantly blew all the smoke out the open patio door and front door. I was thankful for that. It was apparent they had been sleeping. I apologized for calling them as I was able to get the fire out myself.

    After they left, I thought about what the firefighter said. I remembered a while back hearing about more de-regulation legislation passed in the U.S. I wondered if de-regulating had anything to do with an increased incidence of fires started by these toaster ovens. I can only wonder.

    My question is if it is left up to the manufacturing company who is marginally regulated to produce products, can we really trust them to make safe products?? ....considering that they make more money if they can produce crap cheaply and quickly without properly testing it. I don't think we can trust them to make safe products for us in this climate of greed in spite of what their advertising manipulates us to believe.

    That got me thinking of what the real cost is of leaving it up to the manufacture to make safe products with little regulation when their objective is to make it cheap as possible with the widest profit margin possible. They do not have to pick up the tab for mobilizing about 6 firefighters at midnight, a couple of fire trucks and a pick up truck. I live in an apartment complex so they were prepared for a building fire.

    The fire department mobilization costs is paid by the city I live in (a.k.a. taxes) not the manufacture. Mobilizing a professional crew is expensive. I know from personal experience.

    Another interesting thing happened that night. One of the firefighters took the toaster oven outside and set it on the ground. There was no fire or smoke coming from it. He said, "Let this cool out here tonight as you should not be breathing around this. You can put it in a trash bag tomorrow and dispose of it." Sounds like he knew it was toxic, not safe for me to be around it.

    I did call the company to tell them what happened. Guess what, nothing happened. They blew it off and pacified me by talking all around the issue of their toaster oven caught on fire and threatened to destroy my apartment and those nearby and threatened to injure or kill others. I also mentioned how much this must have cost the city in fire protection. I was treated as if I had two heads and was a babbling fool.

    Bottom line, just like you say, the less crap I own, the less risk there is to me (and others) thus the safer I am. Another reason to continue to de-crap my life and not let any more crap into my home.


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