Habits That Will Get You Killed

Life is undoubtedly short, and humans are constantly looking for ways to extend their lifespans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy for a U.S. adult is 77.5 years, as of data from 2022. Females also tend to live longer than males, at 74.8 and 80.2 years, respectively. But in addition to life-prolonging initiatives, perhaps another consideration is to evaluate some of your daily habits to see if they might be contributing to a shortened life.

If you keep up with health news, chances are you've heard about the mysterious "vaping disease" about, oh, a million times this fall. Here at Sciencing, we've reported on it a few times: once in August, when the outbreak started, and in September, as scientists were desperately trying to figure out the cause.

Breathing in oil smoke, as anyone who has ever endured the experience well knows, is exceedingly unpleasant. But more than being a transient annoyance, inhaling the fumes created by the combustion of petroleum products can have both short- and longer-term health hazards. Acutely, these effects center primarily on the respiratory system, whereas over the long term they can affect a variety of organ systems. The hazards result from both the physical effects of inhaling smoke regardless of its molecular composition and the chemical effects created by the way in which specific molecules interact with the body's cellular apparatus; the latter are often not immediately evident and are thus more insidious.

In 1929, Norwegian scientist Erik Rotheim patented a way to distribute liquids via an aerosol can for the first time in history. Despite Rotheim's efforts, however, this invention never resulted in a profitable product for Alf Bjercke, the lacquer manufacturer that helped Rotheim develop the patent. Bottle production was prohibitively expensive, and the dimethyl ether gas that Rotheim had used as the propellant needed to make the spray can concept work was dangerous.