When a spider bites, you don’t turn into Spiderman. Trust me, a good number of young fans of the Marvel studio character still believe they might acquire the abilities they see their hero display on television after a spider bites them. Anyway, that’s on a lighter note. In Nigeria, spiders seldom bite. In fact most…
DetailsThere are an estimated 1500 species of scorpions in the world, and only 30 of these produce venom toxic enough to be fatal. Anyway there’s always that extreme and instantaneous pain one feels after a scorpion sting. You just know something bad has happened. In this piece we discuss the steps to take in preventing…
DetailsOnly about 15% of snakes worldwide are really dangerous to man and that’s even because they’re the venomous ones. The other non-venomous 85% are just slithery reptiles who retain the ability to bite. However, any defect in the continuity of the human skin is regarded as potentially dangerous since the skins serves as a barrier.…
DetailsCleanliness is next to Godliness, they say. Why do we buy cleaning agents for use in our homes? To clean! We buy soaps, detergents, and bleaching agents, scourers for our kitchens, toilets and bathrooms to ensure they’re sparkling white with sweet smelling scents. But while the chemicals in cleaners foam, bleach, and disinfectant make our…
DetailsIn Nigeria, before the insecticide ‘sniper’ became poison of choice for people intending to commit suicide, it was used for cockroaches, spiders, bedbugs and the likes. Anyway, the cause of probable death in sniper ingestion is known as ‘organophosphate poisoning’ and that is the topic for discussion in this piece. Organophosphates are chemicals in insecticide…
DetailsOn this episode, we discuss a chemical gas commonly dubbed as a ’silent killer’. What else can be more silent than a gas with no colour, odour or taste? Very few, I bet. That’s how dangerous Carbon Monoxide (CO) can be. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a by-product of combustion. Common household items, such as gas…
DetailsWhy should chemical poisoning be discussed in the context of households? After all, there are factories that deal in production and handling of chemicals with its workers being exposed to occupational hazards day in, day out. At this point, it would be useful to remember that eventually many chemical products might end up being used…
DetailsIt shouldn’t be any news to you by now that a couple of studies have identified some health benefits attached to marijuana use. However, on the flip side is a plethora of studies associating marijuana use with negative effects on human health. There’s a list and there’s quite a number on it. Immediately after marijuana…
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