00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most hazardous pieces
00:13of tech ever sold to consumers.
00:15Our first entry is a machine built to save people, which instead claimed multiple lives.
00:32The Therac-25 was an 80s radiation therapy machine, built to treat cancer with radiation.
00:44Usually these beams are highly controlled, to prevent blasting patients with a lethal
00:49dose.
00:50Unfortunately, the Therac-25 software featured inconsistent results, which led to at least
00:55six patients getting over 100 times their intended dose.
00:59Victims of these overdoses would feel intense burning sensations, with a few dying only weeks
01:04later.
01:05Initially manufacturers denied any issue, assuring people the safeguards were working.
01:10On the bright side, it's now long gone, and it led to major changes in medical safety
01:14regulations, making a repeat disaster highly impossible.
01:19Old Microwave Ovens
01:28In the 21st century, no one bats an eye at having a personal microwave.
01:32They were first invented in 1947, but early commercial microwaves were extremely sketchy
01:37compared to modern ones.
01:38For those unaware, microwaves work by blasting your food with radiation.
01:42Unfortunately, when they first hit the market, there were virtually no regulations, meaning
01:46they had way more potential to be dangerous.
01:49The first commercial microwaves delivered huge doses of power, around 1.6 kilowatts in power,
01:55while also weighing hundreds of pounds.
01:57So while they weren't quite Chernobyl in a box, you could easily get hurt from misuse or
02:02a faulty door.
02:04Electric Blankets
02:11During winter months, few things can keep you warmer than a nice, toasty electric blanket.
02:16Before 2001, however, they were highly likely to burn your whole house down.
02:20They had no mechanism to automatically shut off, which prevents dangerous overheating.
02:24This means they just keep heating, and keep heating, and keep heating.
02:29Additionally, erosion over time can expose faulty wires.
02:41Combining this with a broken hot water bottle is a recipe for electrocution.
02:45Even in recent years, these old blankets still pose a massive risk.
02:49With a 2024 study, finding 69% of electric blankets in Nottinghamshire were unsafe.
02:557.
02:56Laser Pointers
02:57The word laser is an acronym.
03:00It stands for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
03:06While not quite as dangerous as the lasers of science fiction, where they're frequently
03:09used by evil villains, these can still be extremely dangerous.
03:13At first, they look like a harmless toy, something to make your cat chase around.
03:17But, if you point it in the wrong way, suddenly you're risking permanent eye damage.
03:22Laser pointers can burn a retina in only a few seconds, which has caused permanent vision
03:26loss in countless children.
03:36On a larger scale, they can hamper the safety of an entire aircraft.
03:40In 2023, there were more than 13,000 reports of laser strikes.
03:44Even tiny exposure to a laser during takeoff or landing can temporarily blind pilots, an
03:49offence which can get you a $250,000 fine or even jail time.
03:546.
03:55Gas-Powered Irons
03:56Being cautious around an iron is entirely justified.
03:59They're used for the simple task of de-wrinkling clothes, but their hot temperatures can make
04:03them extremely hazardous.
04:04And yet, compared to irons used a century ago, they are remarkably safe.
04:09In the early 20th century, irons would be powered with a small internal burner, often powered
04:13by kerosene or even propane.
04:15And it doesn't take a science degree to foresee their dangers.
04:30But faulty valves, leaks and over-pumping can cause fires and even explosions.
04:34It makes us extremely thankful that nowadays, ironing your clothes with an active, pressurised
04:39firebomb is not all common.
04:425.
04:43Lithium Battery Pages
04:44Before cell phones, pages were the ultimate flex.
04:47They were perfect for doctors, teens and black market dealers.
04:50But many of these devices use lithium batteries, infamous for their explosive tendencies.
04:56These things are so dangerous that in 2024, about 5,000 Hezbollah pagers simultaneously exploded.
05:08The incident injured over 3,500 people, with many victims being civilians.
05:13Israel had secretly hidden PETN explosives in those devices, making Hezbollah's pagers
05:19particularly dangerous.
05:20Without the lithium batteries, the explosions would have been tiny.
05:24It was so controversial that the United Nations even said it could be considered a war crime.
05:29Any device with a lithium-ion battery poses a risk, with them often causing uncontrollable
05:33fires and explosions.
05:43In the mid-2010s, brand new self-balancing scooters hit the market.
05:46They were all a rage for a brief period, but people became less eager once they started
05:50catching fire.
05:52Officials rushed to ban them, and the US began investigating their safety.
05:55It turns out that, once again, lithium-ion batteries were at fault.
06:11Hoverboards went from being a must-have toy, to being the most infamous fire hazard of their
06:15age.
06:16Alongside combustion, they also frequently caused injuries.
06:19Sudden acceleration, sketchy brakes or balance issues could send you straight to the ER.
06:24Mass recalls and bans were announced, teaching everyone not to get new tech on day one.
06:30A baby monitor probably isn't a device you'd expect in our top three.
06:42They're radios used to monitor children, intended to make them more safe.
06:46In actuality, they can sometimes do the opposite.
06:49Older monitors often had long, dangling power cords.
06:52Instead of mounted close to a crib, which many would be, they became a major strangulation
06:57hazard.
06:58It's just a theoretical risk.
07:12Thankfully now, cordless monitors are relatively easy to come by, instead relying on WiFi or
07:17Bluetooth.
07:182.
07:19Electric Shock Therapy Gadgets Electroshock therapy is an old-school medical
07:23practice, with quite a bad reputation in modern pop culture.
07:27In the Victorian era, it was quite fashionable.
07:29One pioneer in the field was Isaac Pulvermacher, who sold the hydroelectric belt.
07:34It was literally a bunch of batteries that they'd use to shock any ailment.
07:38It became a smash hit, with at least 50,000 people having them at one point.
07:42Hindsight is enough to guess how safe they were.
07:45Older man decided to cobble together a homemade device, which he used to shock his son twice
07:50daily, until his clothes caught fire.
07:52Their popularity continued to rise, eventually being available in mail-order catalogues, with
07:57customers using them for a variety of purposes.
07:59Thankfully, they had fallen out of fashion by the 20th century.
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08:21While the devices themselves are fairly safe and rarely explode, their impact on health
08:25and safety is monumental.
08:28Well, devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 could spontaneously combust, because of our
08:32old enemy lithium-ion batteries.
08:44The roads are where they cause the most havoc, though.
08:47Using a phone while driving is illegal in most countries, since they cause thousands of deaths
08:51every year.
08:52Mental health also takes a hit, with studies linking them to worse sleep, depression and
08:57anxiety.
08:58They're also always tracking your location, conversations and habits, even when they're
09:02turned off.
09:03Despite these issues, phones are likely here to stay, and worst of all, you can barely get
09:08to buy without one.
09:09So, were there any products we missed that you think deserve a spot on the list?
09:13Let us know in the comments.
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