In the 18 years from 1990-2007 (the latest stats) more than 80,000 people were injured in hot tubs or whirlpools seriously enough to end up in an emergency room, according to The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
In 2007 the number of emergency room visits after a hot tub injury rose to 6,646 people, from 2,549 in 1990.
- • About half the injuries were caused by slipping or falling.
- • Heat overexposure was the problem in 10% of the accidents.
- • Near-drowning was the case in about 2.5%.
- • Almost 7% were severe enough to require hospitalization.
While hot tubs have proven to be an unexpected source of emergency rooms visits this next one took me by s
urprise: 1,979 people ended up in the emergency room last year from trying to slice their bagels. According to The Wall Street Journal, that makes bagel-slicing the fifth most dangerous cutting activity in the American kitchen--behind attempting to cut chicken, potatoes, apples and onions.
Keep these numbers in mind next time you reach for that delicous bagel or dip your toes into the hot tub. On the unlucky chance that you do end up visiting the ER from too much tubbing and bagel slicing, read this article to learn how to slice away medical debt instead of the end of your finger.
--Makenzie
Photo 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisviolette/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/ / CC BY 2.0
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