Month: September 2016

Halloween is coming up, and that means it’s time to get spooky. Stock up on these skull-themed products to celebrate the holiday.

1. SUGAR SPOON; $5

This spoon, which has eye and nose holes, creates the image of a skull when you scoop up sugar. Created by SUCK UK, the utensil was designed specifically to warn that eating too much sugar is a bad idea.

Find it: Amazon

2. SHOT GLASS; $7

For super spooky imbibing, consider purchasing this handblown shot glass; it contains an ominous looking skull that holds 2.5 ounces of booze.

Find it: Amazon

3. PHONE CHARGER; $15

These skulls might be dead, but your phone doesn’t have to be. Plug it in using this charger, which is adorned with eight skulls that light up when plugged in. The cord works with most Apple products, and thanks to its 46-inch length, you’ll have a lot of freedom to move your phone around while it’s charging.

Find it: ThinkGeek

4. ICE MOLDS; $10

Whether you’re making a bubbling cauldron filled with Halloween punch or just a creepy cocktail for yourself, you’re going to need ice—why not make it the creepy kind? These study silicone ice molds produce two 3D skull shapes and are safe to put in your microwave, dishwasher, and freezer.

Find it: Amazon

5. BOTTLE OPENER; $55

The next time you have to open a bottle, use this opener. It has two skulls: One to hold on to and one to chomp off bottle caps. It’s hand cast out of bronze and sure to be a conversation starter.

Find it: Cool Material

6. TEA INFUSER; $10

This skull-and-crossbones infuser simultaneously steeps your tea leaves and warns others to stay away from your mug.

Find it: Amazon

7. NEON LIGHT; $129

Spruce up your desk with a cool neon light shaped like a skull. The handmade light is 15 inches tall and comes with a 6-foot cord.

Find it: Urban Outfitters

8. CHOCOLATE; $91

Nothing is spookier—or more delicious—than life-sized, anatomically correct skulls made out of chocolate. These treats come in three varieties of Belgian chocolate—milk, dark, or chili—and are dusted in cocoa. Each is created using a mold cast from a real skull, and each has different characteristics, like cracks or missing teeth.

Find it: Etsy

9. BATH BOMB; $5

If you were intrigued by the black bath bomb, you might also like this equally creepy bath bomb shaped like a skull. It has a wood-spicy smell, which was created with natural oils, and it’s sulfate free.

Find it: Etsy

10. STRING LIGHTS; $18

When decorating for your Halloween party this year, make sure to pick up this string of skull lights in addition to fake spider webs. The 7.5-foot-long cord takes two AA batteries, so you don’t need to worry about an outlet.

Find it: Urban Outfitters

11. EGG MOLD; $9

Even breakfast can be spooky! Serve up two fried eggs in the shape of a skull—the yolks become the eyes and the white becomes the bone. For bonus points, arrange some strips of bacon to form crossbones.

Find it: Amazon

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found “shocking” levels of harmful chemicals in common household dust collected across the United States.

Products we use never really stay put: Particles from our hairspray and oven cleaner drift through the air and accumulate in the specks of dust hiding under the bed and on the windowsills. When we inhale, we take some of that dust, and thus some of those chemicals, into our body. Consequently, determining just how common those chemicals are is a pretty important question. Yet until now, most studies on the subject have looked at small samples or considered only a handful of chemicals.

So a team of public health researchers from five institutions (George Washington University, the Silent Spring Institute, the National Resource Defense Council, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the University of California, San Francisco) decided to take a look at the bigger picture. They compared the results of 27 studies on household dust collected in 14 U.S. states.

The news was not good. The team’s meta-analysis of vacuumed-up dust revealed 45 different potentially harmful chemicals, all of which came from consumer products like vinyl flooring, toiletries, cleaning products, building materials, and furniture. Ten of the chemicals, including a carcinogenic flame retardant, were present in 90 percent of all samples.

Some classes of chemicals were more prevalent than others. Compounds called phthalates, which are commonly added to perfume, lotion, nail polish, shower curtains, plastic wrap, and vinyl siding, were found in significantly higher concentrations than any other chemicals. The phthalates DEP, DEHP, DNBP, and DIBP are all known health hazards and can interfere with the body’s hormones and respiratory system.

“The number and levels of toxic and untested chemicals that are likely in every one of our living rooms was shocking to me,” co-author Veena Singla, a staff scientist at the National Resource Defense Council, said in a press statement. “Harmful chemicals used in everyday products and building materials result in widespread contamination of our homes.”

Still, let’s not freak out. While the chemicals were certainly varied and present, nobody is saying that your dust bunnies are trying to kill you. We are not in imminent danger of dropping dead from dust. And we’re not completely helpless. There are a number of things you can do to reduce your exposure. For starters, keep your house as dust-free as possible, and use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Wash your hands. And we know it’s not easy, but try to steer clear of products containing phthalates [PDF].

“Consumers have the power to make healthier choices and protect themselves from harmful chemicals in everyday products,” Robin Dodson, co-author and an environmental exposure scientist at the Silent Spring Institute, said in the statement. “These things can make a real difference not only in their health but also in shifting the market toward safer products.”

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

Why don’t airlines have parachutes for passengers?

Andrew Hennigan:

There are four reasons why you don’t find a parachute under your seat on commercial airlines:

1. Parachutes are bulky, heavy and expensive. They would not even fit under your seat, they would occupy a lot of space, and add a lot of weight. They would also need regular inspection and repacking. To provide several hundred per airplane would add significantly to costs, making flying much more expensive.

2. Passengers are not trained to use them. Without a minimum of training most people would not even be able to strap the parachute on correctly, never mind open it and land safely. Even on the ground and with plenty of time this is not easy. In the confined space of an airliner and in a high-stress situation it would be even more difficult.

3. There isn’t a convenient way to jump out of typical airliners. You would need to redesign aircraft with a special jumping exit. Just jumping out of normal side-facing airplane doors or emergency hatches you would probably hit the wing or the tail. You would need to install a ramp on the rear of the cabin.

4. There are very few situations where it would save anybody. You would have to be in a situation, in daylight, over land, where there is no hope of a landing but plenty of time to get everyone out. I can only think of a single case in the entire history of civil aviation where it could have been useful—The United Airlines Flight 232 case—but then only if the aircraft had been redesigned with a rear exit. Even in that case, jumping was as risky as staying aboard.

This post originally appeared on Quora. Click here to view.

If chili cooking competitions and hot sauce festivals have taught us anything, it’s that people love when their treats bring the heat. The latest offering in that category: the Carolina Reaper Madness chip, considered the spiciest tortilla chip in the world and said to be so hot that each package only contains a single chip.

The Paqui chips product is individually wrapped in red packaging that sports an illustration of the Grim Reaper. To complete the theme, the wrapped chip is then housed in a red coffin-shaped cardboard.

“We’re always looking to push the limits to find fun ways for our fans and consumers to engage with us,” Jeff Day, Brand Manager of Paqui Chips, told Mashable. “When we decided that we wanted to make the world’s hottest chip, we first said, well, we need to find the world’s hottest pepper.”

A single chip might seem like a measly snack, but the company argues that most people will have trouble even finishing it. As the name implies, the spiciest chip gets its spiciness from the world’s hottest pepper: the Carolina Reaper Pepper. These bright red, wrinkly peppers are so hot that they can lead to a host of health problems like vomiting, seizures, and shortness of breath. To add to this kick, the chip also comes with ghost pepper and chipotle seasoning. The fiery concoction took Paqui Chips and Chef Smokin’ Ed Currie several months to perfect.

“It’s the hottest chip you’ll ever have, I can guarantee you that,” Currie said. “After you eat that one chip, trust me, you’re not looking to dig back into the bag and have a second one. So, one chip is what we created to have the experience.”

If you’d like to try the chip yourself, you can snag one for $4.99 on Paqui’s website. The sellers recommend that adventurous eaters chase the chip with ice cream, milk, yogurt, or honey—water will just make it worse.

[h/t Mashable]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.