Why the Weight of a Mattress Increases and the Dangers of Stairs: Shocking Facts 0 181

Over the course of ten years, the weight of a mattress can double due to dust mite feces. These microscopic arthropods are not visible to the naked eye, and their droppings are essentially indistinguishable from regular dust. Dust mites generally do not pose a serious threat, although they can sometimes trigger allergic reactions.

The popular food dye carmine, commonly found in yogurts, candies, alcoholic beverages, and even sausages, is derived from female cochineal insects. These insects inhabit prickly pear cacti, from which they are collected and ground into a powder. Carmine is considered an expensive and high-quality dye.

Now let's move on to more serious issues — the risk of dying from falling out of bed turns out to be quite significant. Hundreds of people die from this misfortune every year! This primarily concerns bunk beds, where for some reason the guardrails are absent, but injuries can occur from a fall from just thirty centimeters high.

The next dangers to humanity are stairs and elevators. Fear of elevators is common, yet they account for only 27 deaths a year. Meanwhile, stairs claim around 12,000 lives in the same period.

There is a small but quite alarming risk of breaking a rib just from a poorly timed sneeze. And if one tries to hold back a sneeze, it can lead to a rupture of a blood vessel in the head or neck.