Atomic Odds: Surviving Two Nuclear Blasts

In 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi of Nagasaki, Japan was a technical draftsman designing oil tankers for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Early that year his wife gave birth to their first child, a son, but what should have been a joyous occasion brought Yamaguchi a deep sense of dread. In May, Germany surrendered to the Allies and the … Read more

The odds a person will visit an emergency department due to an accident involving pens or pencils

1 in 13,300 The odds a person will visit an emergency department due to an accident involving pens or pencils in a year are 1 in 13,300 (US, 2007). Sources & Definitions SOURCE(S) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) On-line [Internet]. US Consumer Product Safety Commission; Available from: http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/neiss.html Population Estimates Program [Internet]. U.S. Census … Read more

The odds a person will visit an emergency department due to an accident involving a bed, mattress, or pillow

1 in 537.9 The odds a person will visit an emergency department due to an accident involving a bed, mattress, or pillow in a year are 1 in 537.9 (US, 2007). Sources & Definitions SOURCE(S) NEISS Data Highlights – 2007. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. July 2007. Population Estimates Program [Internet]. U.S. Census Bureau; Available … Read more

Flood Season: Water, Water Everywhere

As New England mops up and tallies damages from a record-breaking mid-March storm, New Jersey is bracing for continued flooding, and the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa are sandbagging. North Dakota’s flood-prone Red River crested at 37 feet in Fargo over the spring equinox weekend, a few feet short of its record. Heavy spring rains on … Read more

The Dangers of Drinking Straws

When Marvin C. Stone patented the drinking straw in 1888, he probably did not expect that, years down the road, thousands of Americans would wind up in the hospital for various drinking straw-related injuries. That’s because Stone’s straws were made of spiral-wrapped paper rather than the hard plastics of modern drinking straws. In fact, in … Read more

The odds a person will die in a transportation accident

1 in 6,279 The odds a person will die in a transportation accident in a year are 1 in 6,279 (US, 2006). Sources & Definitions SOURCE(S) Compressed Mortality File, 1979-2005 [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Available from: http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortsql.html CALCULATION(S) BY BOOK OF ODDS BASED ON Compressed Mortality File, 1979-2005 [Internet]. Centers for Disease … Read more

The odds a person will die from tripping or slipping and falling

1 in 435,800 The odds a person will die from tripping or slipping and falling in a year are 1 in 435,800 (US, 2006). Sources & Definitions SOURCE(S) Compressed Mortality File, 1979-2005 [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Available from: http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortsql.html CALCULATION(S) BY BOOK OF ODDS BASED ON Compressed Mortality File, 1979-2005 [Internet]. Centers … Read more

MOST PEOPLE DIE IN JANUARY—AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY

It may not be just the weather that causes “Christmas coronaries” and “Happy New Year heart attacks.” The odds a death that happens in a given year will happen in January are 1 in 10.89, higher than any other month. Summer is safer even where winter is warm. “All morticians take their vacations in August,” says Jerry … Read more