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holiday hazards

Halloween hazards: Spooky eve one of top three holidays that can maim, inflame, injure or kill you

Halloween is spooky, creepy and downright scary – but not just because of the dressed-up ghoulies and goblins.

Beware of Halloween hazards/Thinkstock

As the tender pagan holiday draws nearer, more and more organizations are sending out news releases, announcements and other forms of warnings outlining all the hazards that surround this formerly fun and festive day.

While many of the warnings are valid – like taking care not to carve through your tendons while you carve out your jack-o-lantern – they also reflect the extreme paranoia that has come to pervade the nation.

Let’s start with the pumpkins. As already mentioned, the American Academy of Orthopeedic Surgeons (AAOS) begs you to keep that carving knife away from your tendons.

And make sure you use a carving knife in a well-lit area, not some dull steak knife in the dark. And for goodness sake, never let your kid have a pumpkin and a knife, especially if his age range is 10 to 14.

After all, Halloween is in the top three when it comes to holidays that land people in the emergency room, with kids age 10 to 14 constituting 30 percent of those visits. For the record, the other two most hazardous holidays are July 4 and New Year’s Eve.

Cuts to the fingers and hands are Halloween’s most common injuries around the ER, followed by fractures to those same areas.

Once you’ve carved up your pumpkin and no one ends up bleeding to death, your next precautionary move is to forget about putting a real candle inside. That’s way too much of a fire hazard.

Instead opt for a battery operated candle, one that flickers if you prefer realistic, and one on a timer so it doesn’t accidentally overheat.

And don’t you dare place that pumpkin on the porch. That’s just asking for trouble – and unwanted visitors.

Hooligans will be encouraged to steal and smash your handiwork, potentially hitting you on the head or strewing a stream of slick pumpkin pulp on your stairwell, risky for a slip.

Area wildlife will also be apt to stop by, the Arizona Game and Fish Department warns, looking for a feast.

“Coyotes, javelina, deer and even bears eat some of the vegetables that are part of traditional holiday displays,” a news release quoted Tucson’s Game and Fish Regional Supervisor Raul Vega. “When displayed outdoors, they may attract wildlife to homes, potentially creating conflicts with people.”

And just think how your pets will react if a bear suddenly bumbles onto your porch.

We didn’t even yet get into the other Halloween horrors that await your pets, usually sent out in list form from animal organizations.

Keep your animals inside, especially if you have a black cat. There are always “several accounts” of satanic rituals increasing on this creepy eve, and you don’t need Miss Kitty becoming a sacrifice.

Your kids, too, need some extra precautions, fire and police departments usually warn. Pick outfits that are flame retardant, highly reflective in traffic and don’t drag on the ground to prevent trips and falls.

Pay special attention to any masks to make sure you children can properly see and, more importantly, breathe. And steer clear of any masks resembling Nixon as an added precaution for personal protection.

While we’ve covered much ground on Halloween hazards that go down, we still haven’t even touched upon how to counter bullies who will do anything to steal bite-size Snickers bars or those heinous folks who stick apples full of razors blades.

Perhaps it’s just easier to forgo Halloween altogether. That would cut out all these hazards – and give us plenty of time to get started on safeguarding ourselves from the dangers of Christmas.

[tnipoll]

–

Ryn Gargulinski is a poet, artist, performer and TucsonCitizen.com Ryngmaster who found out the hazards of Halloween when she tried wearing giant wings in an elevator. Her column appears every Friday on Rynski’s Blogski. Her art, writing and more is at RynRules.com and Rynski.Etsy.com. E-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com.

Filed Under: blogski, column, danger, death, environment, health, life, stupidity Tagged With: American Academy of Orthopeedic Surgeons, animals halloween, arizona game and fish, costume hazards, fire danger halloween, halloween dangers, halloween emergency room, halloween hazards, halloween injuries, halloween safety, holiday hazards, holiday safety, jack-o-lantern fires, jack-o-lantern hazards, most hazardous holidays, pet safety halloween, pets halloween, safety tips halloween, safety tips holidays, safety tips tucson, top three dangerous holidays, top three hazardous holidays, wildlife halloween

Five random holiday hazards

Here we go with Christmas, Hanukkah, and the now-included Kwanzaa, a time of joy and celebration – as long as you don’t fall prey to a number of holiday hazards.

Deco-RAT-e/Illustration from Ryn's book RATS INCREDIBLE
Deco-RAT-e/Illustration from Ryn's book RATS INCREDIBLE

Some folks around town have already begun to deck their homes with lights and fake reindeer. More holiday décor and cheer will surely be on the way. Keep it cheery by keeping these five random holiday hazards in mind.

Flying turkey – While this hazard is more common on Thanksgiving, and an incident of it was even reported one year by Tucson police, do beware of other large, flying foodstuff in the midst of holiday fights.

Packing lots of family and friends together with drinks and old resentments can turn a festive feast into a food fight. Beware the Christmas ham or those wayward Hanukkah latkes that could hit you in the face.

Christmas tree terror – Pick a tree that is fresh, green and doesn’t lose all its needles when you bounce it on the ground, advises a news release from the Northwest Fire District.

“Make a new diagonal cut of about two inches on the trunk to open up pores clogged by sap, and put the tree into a sturdy stand with at least a gallon of water,” the release adds. Cut trees can suck up between a quart and a gallon of water per day, so keep the reservoir filled. For extra protection, you can even spray the tree with a fire retardant. Place trees away from heat sources, like that sparking fireplace or hot-air-blasting wall unit.

While fire is the most common hazard with Christmas trees, they are also in danger of getting peed on by the dog or cat or falling atop a drunken uncle when he careens backwards into it. Trees, too, can go flying during domestic disputes.

Lethal lighting – Use indoor lights for indoor use and outdoor lights for outdoor use. Seems simple, but some folks like to skimp. Don’t skimp, either, by using old lights with frayed cords or chewed up bulbs. Overload sockets and you risk turning your home into tinder.

Candles have long been the number one cause of fires, especially during the holidays. Keep them away from curtains, flammable couches, children and pets. We don’t care how old fashioned you want your décor to be, never use candles on a Christmas tree.

Shut off lights and extinguish candles before leaving the house or retiring for the night.

Broken necks – These can easily come about if you try to hang lights outside your home while dangling from the roof or stand atop the roof peak during heavy winds. They may also be a result of the aforementioned flying turkey or ham.

Mistletoe – Be very careful where you stand during this festive season. One wrong step could place you under the mistletoe with someone you’d rather not kiss. Also be aware that mistletoe is poisonous if eaten, especially its berries.

“Eating the berries will cause acute stomach and intestinal pains, diarrhea, weak pulse, mental disturbances, and the collapse of blood vessels,” says the MountLehmanLlamas website. “Death has occurred within ten hours after ingestion.”

Don’t eat it.

[tnipoll]

wb-logolilWhat do you think?

Has a hazard ever ruined your holiday? Do tell.

What other holiday hazards should people try to avoid?

Filed Under: blogski, danger, life Tagged With: art, christmas tucson, cool, danger, funky, hanukkah tucson, holiday decor, holiday hazards, kooky, kwanza tucson, least favorite decor, rynski's blogski, tucson, tucson holidays, whimsical, winter holidays tucson

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