We’re constantly surrounded by everyday things we assume are harmless until they’re not. From the simple act of swallowing food the wrong way to the hidden dangers of being near horses, some risks are surprisingly deadly.
Reddit users recently answered the chilling question: What’s something few people realize can kill you in seconds? Their responses reveal a mix of terrifying and unexpected hazards. This eye-opening list might make you think twice before lighting a candle, microwaving leftovers, or popping that “harmless” supplement. Sometimes, danger hides in plain sight.
#1
A family friend who taught me how to drive many many years ago told me you have to drive like everyone else on the road is an absolute idiot and has no idea what they're doing. I never forgot that.
Image credits: Beautiful_Rope_7435
#2
Riding your bicycle without a helmet. I don't give a s**t how careful you drive. Even if you actually do, someone else may not. And if someone hits you with their car, chances of going at least to the hospital for an extended stay are pretty d**n high, and in worst case may end at the cemetery.
Invest in a helmet, it may save your live one day and your loved ones a lot of tears. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for them. They deserve better than seeing you attached to hundreds of machines going beep every few seconds and slowly watching you die, just because you thought a helmet looked stupid or some s**t.
Image credits: Massepunkt_m1
#3
This'll get buried but shooting into the air.
What goes up, must come down. Those bullets can and do hit people.
We’re all generally cautious when it comes to the obvious dangers in life. If we spot a snake slithering nearby or see flames in a building, we know to act fast. Our instincts kick in for visible threats. But what about the dangers that hide in plain sight? The ones that don’t hiss or burn, but quietly lurk around us every day? That’s where the real trouble often begins.
There are countless risks we overlook simply because they seem too ordinary to harm us. Just like the ones on this list, many everyday items carry invisible threats. These dangers don’t wear warning signs: they look familiar, useful, and even comforting. But that’s what makes them so deceptive. From household items to personal care products, risk hides where we least expect. And once you know, it’s hard to ignore.
#4
Texting or scrolling on your phone while driving. I’m a Medevac pilot. Ask me how I know. Put the phone down, please.
Image credits: Left-Hand_Free
#5
Herbivores
Just because they don't eat doesn't mean they are docile .. unlike a carnivorous, which asks 2 questions, am i hungry? Can I k**l you without serious damage? If one of them is no , it will just leave
But herbivores get a fight or flight. 99% they chose flight but God save you if it decides to fight .. .
Image credits: BenneIdli
#6
Flowing water inches deep can still have the strength to sweep you away if you’re not careful
Image credits: akumamatata8080
Take toothpaste, for example. Most of us use it daily: some, even twice or more. But a Guardian report reveals that toothpaste can be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. The testing, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, uncovered alarming levels in several popular brands. It’s a startling reminder that even trusted staples deserve scrutiny.
#7
Dogs. Easy to forget about because they're lovely most of the time, but most medium.sized dogs could k**l you within seconds if they wanted to. Sharp teeth, strong jaws, agile bodies. Of course they've been bred to live with us, but we're still lucky almost none of them want to hurt anyone.
Image credits: Horror-Piccolo-8189
#8
I stopped two German or Austrian tourists from touching a poisonous frog in Colombia. They had no idea. They were inches away with their phones.
I hadn't spoken German in years, but man my panic reaction brought those words to the tip of my tongue real fast.
Don't mess with wildlife, especially outside your own habitat.
Image credits: EffectiveChange5828
#9
Getting drunk going to sleep and choking on your own vomit. Always lay your drunk friends on their side, and lift their chin to open their airway. DO NOT lay them on their backs, friend died aged 32
Image credits: K8syk8
In Canada, action is already being taken against another silent threat: baby bottles made from polycarbonate plastics. These bottles often contain BPA, a chemical known for mimicking estrogen. BPA is labeled a hormone disruptor because it interferes with natural hormone functions, especially in young children. Canada has moved to ban their sale for this reason. The bottles may look harmless, but the long-term risks are far from minor.
#10
Heat stroke, the heat can creep up on you.
Image credits: Wowzaha
#11
A crack in your toilet.
When porcelain breaks its razor sharp.
You are sitting on a cracked piece of porcelain, with your bare a*s and legs. One of the fastest ways to die is puncturing the femoral artery in your legs. What happens when your body weight causes the cracked porcelain to shatter, and your bare a*s and legs crash down on a collapsing pile of razor sharp porcelain shards.
Image credits: neanderthalman
#12
Manipulations by chiropractors.
And if the manipulation doesn't k**l you, it can certainly cause paraplegia or quadriplegia, vertebral dissections.
The sad part is that chiropractors will never own up to the fact and they'll actually claim that patients are coming in with an active stroke. Unfortunately a lot of their research is skewed. I would highly recommend looking into the American medical association, particularly neurologist to see the detrimental effects that a chiropractor can have. It's unfortunate how many people die secondary to a chiropractic manipulations - particularly in the neck and back.
For reference, I am a occupational therapist who has seen plenty of paraplegics and quadriplegics secondary to chiropractic injury.
Image credits: eagle0829
According to the Missouri Poison Center, cherry pits pose another unexpected danger. They contain a compound called cyanogenic glycoside, which can turn deadly when consumed in large amounts. While it might take a significant dose to be fatal, a child accidentally swallowing several could be at serious risk. The danger lies in their small, unassuming appearance. Something so ordinary can quickly turn hazardous.
#13
Rags covered in linseed oil can spontaneously combust when left in a pile.
I randomly discovered this fact in a reddit post titled, "The new guy burned down our workshop." A carpenter I know confirmed that this is a real thing.
I've been getting into refinishing old furniture, so I'm glad I learned this now. You'd think it'd be more common knowledge!
Image credits: doctor_x
#14
Hitting your head. r/TBI is full of stories about simple slips and falls that resulted in death (at least temporarily) and lasting effects.
I simply fell on ice at work. Bam ! Unconscious, woke up saying “I was okay”. Got talked into getting in an ambulance. Started dying in the ambulance from a severe brain bleed. Coma, expected to die, survived. Lost most of my memory, emotional stability, the ability to easily make new memories, a ton of IQ.
Still… in all “I’m not dead !”
Image credits: cbelt3
#15
INHALANTS!!! AKA: Huffing. Intentionally inhaling anything aerosol, helium, nitrous, chemical with the intention of getting high. My 15 yr old brother was an artifact of that behavior when he died in a crash after his friend huffed air freshener while driving. AND they never went to jail because the law didn't include inhalants. My family went before congress and got the DUI law changed to include it, and it's known as "Keith's Law".
Image credits: Soft_Tip_5494
Household plants are another hidden risk we often forget. They brighten up homes, purify air, and add a decorative touch, but not all of them are safe. Varieties like daffodil, iris, and ivy are toxic if ingested. For families with curious kids or pets, these pretty greens can become a silent health hazard. It’s a gentle reminder to check before you pot that next plant.
#16
Garage door springs. let a pro fix it.
Image credits: Sir_Wood
#17
Hi I’m in EMS.
Please wash your hands before you eat stuff, so many people come in contact with so many other people who have illnesses that can be contracted by eating with unclean fingers. Even if you’ve been around people you know all day you never know who they’ve been around, and sometimes it’s not even illnesses rather random germs AND I KNOW THIS IS OBVIOUS TO SOME PEOPLE but next time you see a local EMS crew eating food with their funny colored gloves on it’s because we’ve made a habit even if we hadn’t run any calls that day.
Of course if you aren’t in healthcare you’re not being exposed to as much but sometimes you need a reminder just how dirty the outside world really is lmao.
Image credits: vRespectful
#18
Horses
we've lived with them for so long that unless you spend regular time around them, you don't know just how unbelievably dangerous they are. It's a good thing they're so stupid or we'd be f****d.
Movies have people believing they're these docile creatures that live to serve humans. Those are the ones that have been trained *extensively*. They are otherwise 1500 pounds of dumb panicky hair-trigger muscle.
Image credits: WisconsinJohnson
Sometimes, we overlook broken appliances because they seem to work fine. But using damaged electrical devices can be a ticking time bomb. If faulty wiring or components aren’t addressed and your safety switch fails—electric shocks or worse can occur. Injuries in such cases can be fatal. It’s not just about functionality; it’s about unseen internal damage.
#19
Bears. Ppl getting too comfortable thinking they are just oversized racoons, not doing the mental effort to realize that oversized raccoons are terrifying too.
Image credits: peaches-divided
#20
Chainsaws. Never EVER use one unless you've at the very least googled how they work and basic safety. Different parts of the spinning chain enact different forces on the saw, and if you arent ready for them, or arent paying attention can be very very bad.
If you put the bottom of the bar on wood and it binds, it will pull you forward, possibly laying your head/chest right across the chain.
If you touch the top of the bar to wood it can fling back extremely fast and hard, if youre lucky a really bad gut punch.
If you touch the top 1/2 of the tip, you'll have just enough time to figure out what happened before you die if it kicks back and hits somewhere really dangerous (corotid artery, femoral artery etc.)
Every aspect of tree work is incredibly dangerous, dont try it at home unless you know what you're doing (and if you think you do you probably dont). Treat chainsaws like loaded guns. Dont go anywhere near running chippers, and keep yourself, your kids, and your pets the f**k away. Like hundreds of feet away. The people doing tree work have more than enough to worry about, they dont need to be babysitters too.
Image credits: Anwhaz
#21
Playing in a deep hole at the beach.
vaexorn:
We got a very scary close call with friends. 4 22-25 yo dudes digging a hole for hours, it was like 3m deep and all of a sudden one of the sides crumble, burrying one of my friend from the waist down, like it's impossible for him to move. Needless to say we got him out and closed the hole asap
Image credits: GuiltyLawyer
Carpets are cozy, practical, and everywhere, from homes to offices. But while carpets themselves aren’t inherently dangerous, the chemicals involved in their installation can be. Glues and dyes often release volatile organic compounds, which can cause serious health issues. These emissions are strongest in the first 72 hours, but low-level exposure can persist for years. Breathing in something harmful while thinking you’re safe? That’s the real problem.
#22
Waterfall pressure
It takes a much smaller waterfall than most people realize to hold you underwater.
Image credits: Thardoc3
#23
A dental infection. I went to grief support meetings, and a woman there lost her son to an impacted tooth that spread infection to his brain.
Image credits: jefuchs
#24
Ladders. People think you have to fall far to get hurt or die. 8 feet is plenty.
Image credits: Ancient-Valuables
And finally, beware of 20 mm lithium coin cell batteries, especially if you have small children. When swallowed, these batteries often lodge in the esophagus and begin causing damage within just two hours. The burns can create holes in the throat and even affect the trachea or aorta. The size makes them easy to overlook but the risk is extreme. It’s one of the most dangerous small items in a home.
#25
Confined spaces.
If it only has one way in and out, especially if it is below ground, there is a very real possibility that there isn't enough oxygen in there to support life.
Even something as simple as rusting metal can remove the oxygen from the air and if there isn't airflow going through the space the oxygen-depleted air won't be replaced. Other processes can remove oxygen or produce actively toxic gases.
This sort of thing often kills more than one person as the first person to find the victim goes in to rescue them and becomes the second victim.
Image credits: SuspiciouslyMoist
#26
Doing your own electrical work. If you don’t know what you are doing, leave it to a professional or experienced person.
#27
If potatoes are not stored properly and becomes rotten, it produces a toxic gas and can make a person unconscious if they’ve inhaled enough, and or even death in some cases. There was a news article back in 2013 of an entire family in Russia that was k**led by it.
Image credits: Moon_Jewel90
Well, these posts are a powerful reminder that danger doesn’t always come with warning signs. It can be hiding in plain sight. Which one of these surprised you the most? Or have you ever had a close call with something that seemed totally harmless? Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. We're all ears (and slightly more cautious now)!
#28
Mixing bleach and ammonia when you clean provinces toxic gas that will make you REALLY sick.
#29
Tylenol, the dangerous dosage is only about 4 times the therapeutic dosage (2 pills helps with the pain, 8 seriously hurts you)
Image credits: Waltzing_With_Bears
#30
Cheerleading. I had an accident and almost died because one of my teammates lost balance while I was on top, and that caused to fall. That fall broke my neck and I haven't been able to walk or move most of my body ever again.
Image credits: Glum_Benefit3704
#31
Giving little babies water to drink. Doesnt have to be much, it k**ls them very easy
Stop_Fun:
There are a few reasons you can’t give a baby water.
One of the less important reasons is that water fills up their tummies and then they don’t get as hungry. Babies need plenty of calories to grow and if they’re not hungry they don’t get the calories.
The more important reason is that babies have tiny kidneys, and they can become overwhelmed easily. When babies have too much water, it dilutes the sodium content in their bodies which can lead to seizures. Their tiny kidneys just can’t keep up with the extra fluids being taken in.
Typically you can start giving your baby a LITTLE water at about 6 months or when they start solids. But that’s still only a few ounces at a time.
Image credits: 19Thanatos83
#32
My forty six year old niece with no known health issues was getting ready to leave and looking for her keys. Her son heard a strange noise and found her lifeless on the kitchen floor. Husband did cpr until the paramedics shocked her a few times to bring her back. Spent two weeks in the hospital with some mild memory issues at first and a whole bunch of broken stuff in her chest from the cpr. Now back with a defibrillator implanted and no ill effects. She was incredibly lucky everything worked out. They said her heart just got out of rhythm and stopped. So scary and odd because there was nothing to blame or prevent. Sometimes it’s just your time.
Image credits: Separate_Answer_7836
#33
Falling from regular standing height.
bearded_tattoo_guy:
Can verify..
Shattered my tailbone years back and still feel the repercussions. Its great.
Image credits: Lost-Swordfish-7239
#34
A motorcycle. Crashed my Harley and have had 3 spinal surgeries, had 7 broken ribs, torn rotator cuffs....if I hadn't been wearing my helmet (which I didn't for years trying to be a tough guy/ idiot) I probably wouldn't be writing this. Helmet was scraped down to the inner layer.
Image credits: Murky-Management-833
#35
Eating, or simply interacting with an unidentified mushroom.
Seriously, most of the toxic mushrooms have poison that either kills you or pucks you up so bad that you wish it killed you. And in several occasions you don't even have to eat it, just by touching it or even breathing its spores will do.
Image credits: el_artista_fantasma
#36
Black ice. Responsible for a broken arm and ankle so far.
#37
Hippos can decapitate with ease.
#38
Pressure washers are quite lethal
swithinboy59:
Can confirm - pressure washers are dangerous. My one stripped a layer of my sandal sole off when I accidentally blasted my foot with it and it stung for about a day. It's not a super duper ultra powerful pressure washer either.
Image credits: floydie1962
#39
Slipping down the stairs.
Yes some people know stairs can be dangerous. But many don’t realize how deadly residential stairs can be.
Image credits: Parking_War_4100
#40
All the food left on the counter and as little as 28 hours, food left out overnight can develop a toxic bacteria that's lethal.
Just a couple months ago in the news some college girls ended up dying cuz they ate some fried rice that they had left out
Image credits: Ok_Application7142
#41
I'm gonna ruin a lot of people's day, but: cracking your neck.
I used to be a habitual neck cracker, I definitely started in my teens. December 16, 2016 I c*****d my neck and dissected my left vertebral artery, leading directly to a stroke in my occipital lobe. I was 34.
I was at LGA waiting on a flight home when this happened, a doctor, who was also flying home, noticed that I was having some sort of brain trauma and called 911. He was a gastroenterologist so he was going off of what he knew about brain trauma from medical school. After an MRI confirmed my stroke, my neurologist told me that my life would have been much more in jeopardy if I hadn't gotten help immediately.
No, I didn't use my hands to manipulate my head/neck in any way. This was a simple, everyday pop back and forth, something I'd done for multiple decades.
Be careful with your body.
Image credits: VitaminRmademefat
#42
Rust. If you run into a hole in the ground with rusty stuff inside, that does not get good ventilation. Dont go in. Rust is iron combined with oxygen. And it can eat all of the oxygen in the air. And fun fact, your body cant tell how much oxygen is in the air, but does sense carbon dioxide is there. So you dont know you are going until you are dead.
Image credits: Palmaseed
#43
Kangaroos.
Petting a kangaroo as a tourist can end in disembowelment, they get on their tails and use their full force to kick your stomach with claws that'll slice your stomach like a scalpel.
And that's not even the Red Kangaroo, which will literally punch you to death, is 1.8M tall and has arms so ripped they are bigger then most active humans.
Image credits: dale-lindsay-nsw
#44
A sneeze while driving at high speed, gone in a blink.
Image credits: Solid-Care-7461
#45
Getting into your car to go to work each day is very dangerous.
#46
Cold water when it's a hot day, so if you jump in a cold river or lake, muscles can spasm and you'll drown pretty quick.
#47
Pushing dead trees over. If you try to explain this to people you will always have a hick show up to tell you how much of a woke p***y you are for warning people.
When you push a dead tree the top lags behind, if you are giving it the ol heave ho' the top will begin to sway the opposite direction to the direction you're pushing... If the trees dead there a very high chance the top could break off and will fall direction onto your head.
People die like this, people get brain damage from this and it's not worth it.
#48
A lot of med interactions. Mucinex DM with antidepressants, tylenol for a hangover. Always look up the potential drug interactions of medications. Every time.
I've had doctors give me some deadly cocktails because they neglected to check it against the meda I was already taking. It happens more than you'd think.
Image credits: otterboviously
#49
Party buses. My wife's cousin was on one a couple of years ago. They were all dancing on the bus while it was driving on the 101 freeway in LA and she slipped and fell against the door. The door gave way and she fell out of the bus at freeway speeds and was immediately run over by a car. There wasn't much left of her, closed casket for sure. She was celebrating her 30th birthday but instead she died and left behind 5 kids all under 10.
Image credits: bowlskioctavekitten
#50
A grape.
My wife had a friend/coworker whose young daughter choked to death in front of her and her mother. They tried to dislodge the grape and nothing worked. By the time an ambulance got there, the girl was brain dead. It's about the worst thing I can imagine as a parent.
We were cutting our kids' grapes in half until they were 10 after that happening.
Image credits: jpiro
#51
Swallowing food the wrong way.
Image credits: Commercial-Lab-3127
#52
Fistfight. One wrong punch and you’re in prison for k**ling a dude.
Image credits: tarheelblue00
#53
Using a massage gun on your neck...
While handheld massage guns are generally safe to use on muscles, using them on the neck can be dangerous. The high vibrations produced by massage guns can injure unprotected areas of the neck, and in rare cases, can cause soft tissue damage or stroke-like symptoms.
Image credits: vestiecon
#54
Do not f**k with koalas they are capable of ending you.
#55
Falling down four steps - lacerated my liver.
Image credits: cancerstinx
#56
An angle grinder disc shattering. Wrong disc, no guard, a split second of carelessness. And your brain becomes splatter on the wall. No second chances, no 'oops.' Just an instant finish.
#57
Downed power lines after a rainstorm. Friend of a friend of a friend died from this after getting out of his car w/o checking.
#58
Your body can't detect the lack of oxygen, only increased levels of CO2. If you climb into a tank with no O2 and no CO2 in it, you will quickly fall uncouncious and die, without noticing the danger.
Another one is H2S gas, can paralyze your olifactory system before you realize something is amiss. K**ls in seconds if you are at high enough doses... And that is less than 0.1% concentration H2S in air. .
Image credits: The_mingthing
#59
Falling debris. Anything falling from roller coasters, trees, skyscrapers, airplanes, bridges, failing spacecraft, helicopters, meteors, hell maybe just a fat goose who had a heart attack.
Image credits: Spiderinthecornerr
#60
A rogue brick on the highway.
Image credits: hack5551
#61
Norovirus. I fainted while on the toilet, woke up vomiting on my back. I was alone.
Image credits: Marcus9356
#62
People who like to eat peanut butter on a spoon, TAKE SMALL PORTIONS ONLY! A full rounded spoon of it can easily block your airways and because it is often too dry it makes it very difficult to swallow fast enough.
#63
Eating polar bear liver. You’ll die of vitamin A poisoning. Vitamin A is not water soluble and eating too much can lead to painful symptoms and death. One polar bear liver has enough to k**l over 50 adults.
