- Okay, I know, I know.
Your house is a place of rest and relaxation,
except when it's trying to kill you.
(ominous music)
You'll see what I mean in a minute.
(gentle music)
here are 10 ways your home can kill you.
Number 10 is the paint on your walls.
Lead was commonly used in paints before 1978,
and it was durable, moisture-resistant
and dried quicker.
Now, this might sound weird, but our homes actually shed.
Kinda like a dog, arf!
Over time, paint deteriorates and is part
of the dust that builds up on your TVs and windowsills.
And if you have or know kids, you know
that they'll have their hands all over the place.
So you'd better know what's on your walls,
because lead is super toxic.
In fact, long-term exposure or ingestion
can cause lead poisoning with symptoms
that are unpleasant, such as migraines,
muscle pain and even miscarriages.
If you want to go further, the effects
can be even more extreme in children
and include developmental delays, seizures
and even (gulps) death.
So repairing areas with chipped or exposed paint
can make your home safer, but proper removal
is a big job that needs to be done right.
So make sure you contact a professional,
or just don't move into a house
with lead paint on the walls.
Okay.
Number nine is wall insulation.
You mean that stuff that keeps me warm in the wintertime?
Yes, that stuff.
Asbestos, rightly, has the reputation as one
of the worst home building materials ever.
During the post-war building boom in the 1950s and 60s,
it was considered to be a miracle product,
because it was so crazy versatile.
Not only is it fire-resistant, but it's super-strong
and an amazing insulator.
However, asbestos is majorly toxic,
and exposure to it can cause a life-threatening
condition called asbestosis, which is a type
of pulmonary fibrosis that causes healthy
lung tissue to turn into scar tissue,
leading to incurable respiratory problems.
It's also directly linked to mesothelioma,
a form of incurable cancer that affects
the lungs, heart and abdomen.
And it gets even worse, because removing it
is extremely time-consuming and costly.
And, obviously, it's really dangerous
if it's not done properly, with the risk
that the asbestos will be released and spread,
causing even more damage.
So if any of you live in a coldish climate
and have a really old house, you might want to move.
Number eight is your blender.
Matt, is my blender going to become sentient
and chop me up in my sleep?
No, it's not, relax.
These days, blenders are usually associated
with being healthy, but if you're in smoothie
beast mode or thinking of starting up again,
you seriously need to give that bad boy a good cleaning.
Now, while all that kale and cucumber
might be good for you, all the buildup of the processed
food junk, eh, not so much.
Believe it or not, researchers have found
that when blenders aren't cleaned properly,
the micro-organisms that cause salmonella,
E-coli and listeria begin to form in it.
And, if it contaminates your next drink
and you consume it, it will usually lead
to symptoms like fever, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
But, in more extreme cases, it can cause
kidney failure and even death.
Yeah, I know, it might be annoying to have
to suds it up every time you use it,
but, really, if you thought the fiber poops
were bad, you really don't want to mess
around with salmonella or E-coli poisoning.
Trust me, not that I've had those things
and had to poop.
I mean, I do poop.
My poops are healthy.
I'm still talking about poop.
Poop.
Number seven is mold.
Not all molds are created equal,
but black mold is definitely the worst
and most notorious type that can develop in your home,
and the scary thing is, by the time
you smell it or even see it,
it's probably a way bigger problem than you think.
The effects can be really nasty,
and homes today are actually more likely to get moldy.
That's because drywall, wood and wallpaper
are a breeding ground for this stuff.
And this is made worse by the fact
that houses are now so energy efficient,
they keep too much moisture in.
And, as you would imagine, mold loves moisture.
Hold on a second.
Mold loves wallpaper?
Crap.
Anyway, when spores are released into the air,
they can be ingested, land on your skin
or get into your clothes and bedding.
And just skin contact alone can cause
chronic allergic reactions, like bad rashes,
skin abrasions and respiratory problems,
making it particularly dangerous for people with asthma.
Number six is the bathroom.
In America, 6,000 people die each year
just from falling in their homes.
Taking a crash landing down the stairs
may seem like the most obvious way to go,
but it's actually the bathroom that's the most
dangerous place to fall.
Think about it.
Bathrooms are pretty damp and can have
all sorts of puddles that you might not even see.
So it's no wonder that, in the middle of your
epic shower performance of Single Ladies,
you might get a little too enthusiastic
and lose your footing.
♪ All the single ladies ♪
♪ All the single ♪
Oh my God!
Because bathrooms also tend to be smaller places
with lots of hard surfaces, if you do fall,
there's a good chance you might crack your skull.
It's always a good idea to wipe up any water
on the floor and, of course, use a good,
slip-proof bath mat, because, really,
having your head in the toilet with, you know,
only your birthday suit on, is not exactly
the way you want the EMTs to find you.
Number five is third-hand smoke.
Smoking laws have changed drastically
over the last 20 years.
Nonsmokers can now fly in planes
and go into restaurants without worrying
about breathing in second-hand smoke.
But, did you know, there's such a thing as third-hand smoke?
It's still perfectly legal to smoke inside your home.
But, if you life in a place where people used
to smoke, it's hard to reverse the damage.
Even though the actual smoke may be long gone,
all those toxins and carcinogens seep into the walls,
carpets and even the electrics.
So you really need to give your house
a major scrub before painting.
But even that might not be enough.
Scientists are still studying the damage
of third-hand smoke, but they believe that
when mixed with moisture or mold,
the impact of third-hand smoke could be
just as bad, if not worse, than actually smoking.
So remember this rule, if your house smells
funky, get outta there, live in a tree like a monkey.
That's a good idea, right?
Number four is your dryer.
In 2010 in the United States alone, there were
an estimated 16,800 fires that were started by dryers.
This led to over 50 deaths, 380 injuries
and $236 million in damage.
Lint is made up of tiny fibers that shed
off of your clothes while they dry,
and, even though they're small, they build up quickly.
Every dryer has a lint trap,
but, if it's not cleaned often enough,
hot air can't circulate properly through the vent
or exhaust duct.
And when that happens, it's fire time!
You're building up a highly flammable
material in a giant heating machine.
That can't end well.
Here's some warning signs.
If you notice that your clothes are taking
longer to dry, it's probably because you
need to clean out the lint trap.
But, just to be safe, you should really
clean it out before every use,
and be sure to also vacuum up all that lint
that's building up behind your washer and dryer too.
Trust me, taking the 10 seconds every time
to clean out that lint trap is much more
preferable than running out of your house in flames.
Number three is your porch.
Collapsing porches and decks are a seriously
scary problem that can be caused by wood rot
and decay, rusted metal railings, nails and bolts
or just having too many people on it at once.
Oh, but Matt, this doesn't happen to modern homes.
Oh, you're crazy.
Really?
On June 16, 2015, in Berkeley, California,
six Irish exchange students were killed
and seven others were seriously injured
while they were at a friend's 21st birthday party.
The balcony was on the fourth story of an apartment
building and was estimated to safely fit
about six people.
But with over 10 adults hanging out
on the balcony, the weight actually got
too much for the whole thing,
and it collapsed beneath them.
See, so it is possible.
Don't be questioning my advice #mattyknows.
Number two is your shower.
When you have a shower, the plan is, of course,
to get out cleaner than when you got into it.
But you could be having some seriously dirty
showers and not even know it.
Mycobacterium avium is a group of bacteria
that builds up in your shower head.
Because the shower head is warm, dark and damp,
it's the perfect environment for this
bacterium to grow, and it's worse than you think!
The effects are terrible
and can cause serious lung infections
and pulmonary disease, with symptoms
like breathlessness, chronic coughing and fatigue
when it's inhaled or swallowed.
Think about it, how many times have you
been in the shower singing Whitney Houston,
and a little bit of water gets in your mouth.
♪ And I guh guh ♪
And now you dead.
It's especially dangerous for people who
already have a weak immune system.
The only way to get rid of mycobacterium avium
is to clean your shower head regularly,
which you can do pretty easily with vinegar and water.
Experts also recommend that you change it
every six to eight months.
Some of you right now are squirming
like, okay, I've never cleaned it.
I've lived here for 10 years.
I'm gonna die.
And number one is poisonous gas.
Every year, hundreds of people go to sleep
and never wake up at all, all because of carbon monoxide.
The gas has no color, taste or smell,
and is caused when fuel-burning appliances,
like your furnace or water heater, malfunction.
Despite how dangerously common it is,
you can stay safe if you install carbon monoxide
detectors and make sure that all of your
appliances are working and properly ventilated.
But it doesn't end there, 'cause there's
another dangerous gas called radon.
It's also colorless and odorless,
but this one's got the added, uh, feature
of being radioactive.
It occurs naturally when uranium in the ground breaks down.
And, if it seeps into your home,
it can cause damaged lung tissue and cancer when inhaled.
Like many pieces of advice on this list,
I can't stress enough that you take
care of yourself and those you live with
by maintaining a safe home.
But, unfortunately, there's nothing you can
do about the other type of gas in your house
after your family's taco night.
So that was 10 ways that your home can kill you.
But, hopefully, it doesn't,
and you heed the advice on this list.
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Thank you guys for watching,
and I'll see you in the next video.
Stay safe.
Bye uh ah!