Ordinary Things in Your Home Can Be Surprisingly Dangerous

Bright Side

Winter hides more risks and surprises than most people realize. Some everyday objects can become dangerous in cold seasons, while snow itself has properties that may seem harmless but aren’t. Unexpected chemical reactions, hidden toxins, and strange natural facts make winter environments more complex than they appear. Understanding these details can help people stay more aware and avoid unnecessary risks.  Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00The holiday spirit comes with holiday decorations.

00:04Sparkling lights, garlands, and snow globes are all part of it.

00:08Our furry friends like to play with them too.

00:11But did you know that this stuff has some hidden dangers?

00:15Let's take a closer look at pet safety tips in your household,

00:19both during holiday times and any other time of the year.

00:23Number one is tinsel.

00:26It's a go-to option to spread a celebration vibe.

00:30Tinsel is also known to spread all over the place.

00:33You might have noticed this if you trimmed a tree with it.

00:37Pets, especially cats, love such decorations.

00:40Yet, if they eat a piece of tinsel, it can cause intestinal problems.

00:45Not to mention emotional effects.

00:47The consequences can cost a lot money-wise too.

00:51Surgery to remove a foreign object can cost hundreds of dollars.

00:54Don't underestimate the appeal of a shiny object in the room

00:58and keep your eye on your pets.

01:02Number two is decorative lights.

01:05Once you're done, you put them in the box and they spend the whole year there, tangled.

01:10When you open the box next year, you'll have a hard time untangling them.

01:15But while you're unpacking, your pets can eat the lights or get an electric shock.

01:20To avoid this, you can bundle up loose cords with protective plastic covers

01:24and hang the lights in places your pets can't easily reach.

01:28Some people have a snow globe collection.

01:33They get these balls as souvenirs from tourist places they go to.

01:37Others take them out of a box with holiday decorations at certain times of the year.

01:41These fragile things can easily break.

01:44Don't ask me how I know this.

01:46Some snow globes contain ingredients that are hazardous,

01:49not only to pets, but also to younger family members.

01:53Numerous veterinary sources are full of the same warning.

01:55Keep your pets away from snow globes.

01:59That being said, the liquid inside snow globes might not be just pure water.

02:04It often contains 2% ethylene glycol.

02:07And it turns out it has a sweet smell that can lure pets to taste it.

02:14Number four is about Christmas trees and how they can turn into pet-friendly decor.

02:19Vets say that artificial trees and garlands can be safer than real ones.

02:23These trees don't carry the outdoor scent with them.

02:27So, smell-wise, they don't attract your pets that much.

02:30Here, the important part is not to buy a flocked or snow-covered artificial tree.

02:36These sprinkles, again, can be harmful to pets.

02:40If you're not into buying artificial trees,

02:42you can attach a fishing line to the tree and hang it on the ceiling to stabilize it.

02:47As for the water for the tree, your pet might want to taste it.

02:51It's best not to add aspirin or other things to this water.

02:55You can cover the reservoir with foil to keep your animals away.

02:59Lastly, you can temporarily put a large water bowl in the same room as the tree.

03:04If your pet gets thirsty, they can go to their bowl instead of the reservoir.

03:08You can consider putting a barrier in front of the tree to make it less accessible.

03:13Ah, but some cats are wild.

03:15They'll just take it as a challenge, and they'll easily get over most obstacles.

03:19Yet, most of them don't want to bother with double-sided sticky tape.

03:24You can try that.

03:25When I talked about snow globes, it included magnets, too.

03:30I wonder whether magnets can be dangerous for pets.

03:33We use them for various purposes in our homes.

03:36For starters, with their help, we showcase our photos or notes on the fridge door.

03:41Our four-pawed friends can easily get their paws on it.

03:44These fridge magnets might not be as harmful as so-called rare earth magnets, though.

03:50Neodymium magnets, for example, are the real danger.

03:53These kinds of magnets are very powerful.

03:56If you accidentally pinch your body parts, they can injure you.

04:00Imagine these magnets as warriors.

04:03When they get too close to each other, they can strike with a super force to chip and shatter regular magnets.

04:09You wouldn't want that type of magnet near your pets or little members of your family.

04:14Rare earth magnets are normally used in stuff like hard disks, locks for doors, or headphones.

04:20But they're also used as toys.

04:22These magnets aren't especially toxic.

04:25So, if your dog accidentally eats one of them, the magnet may leave its body in a natural way.

04:31But, what if it eats two super powerful magnets?

04:35I don't want to get into the details of this scenario.

04:38The intestines loop back and forth in the abdomen.

04:40And if these magnets get too close to each other, yeah.

04:43Apparently, pennies made later than 1982 are also hazardous.

04:50They contain high levels of zinc.

04:52You might think, isn't zinc an essential mineral for our body?

04:56Yes, for growth, wound healing, and many more aspects.

05:00Yet, the body needs a small amount of zinc.

05:03Too much can cause poisoning.

05:05Zinc is found in many metal objects, such as bolts, zippers, and jewelry.

05:09If you live in the U.S., you should know that pennies minted after 1982 have zinc cores covered in copper plating.

05:18One of the most common causes of zinc poisoning in pets is these pennies.

05:22Household plants and flower bouquets can also be dangerous.

05:28Let's say you have a bouquet of tulips that you want to keep.

05:31And your cat looks so funny trying to push the vase off the table.

05:35You shouldn't let curiosity get the best of your cat.

05:38Aloe vera, daphne, daylily, oh, the list is long.

05:43The moral of the story is, kittens are curious and shouldn't eat plants or flowers,

05:48because they can be toxic for their fluffy bodies.

05:51The next one is batteries.

05:55The acidic material inside them can leak if they get blasted.

05:59Imagine your dog chewing them accidentally.

06:02Severe consequences and immediate surgery would be the next step.

06:06When I say batteries, I also mean stuff like remotes, watches, and hearing aids.

06:11They're also powered by batteries.

06:14The next item on the list is food.

06:17Yeah, I know how hard it can be sometimes to eat while your pet gives you the look.

06:22I want to taste that too!

06:23Give me a bite, human, please!

06:25Okay, allow me to explain the dangers so that you can resist the temptation to share your food with your bestie.

06:31Avocado is toxic to birds and rabbits.

06:37Appleseeds and almonds are bad for hamsters.

06:40One myth is that rabbits eat lettuce, but in reality, you shouldn't include some types of lettuce in their diet.

06:47For example, iceberg lettuce.

06:49It contains lacticarium.

06:51It can be harmful if your animal eats too much of it.

06:54Another myth is that cats should drink milk.

06:57Nope.

06:58Cow's milk is not good for cats because, surprise, most cats are lactose intolerant.

07:04Chocolate, garlic, grapes, and raisins can also be dangerous to pets.

07:10How toxic something is depends on several factors, like the species of your pet and how much of the potentially harmful thing the animal has eaten.

07:20At the end of the day, you know your pet better than anyone.

07:22You probably already know how long it takes them to visit their litter box or how it smells.

07:28So, always be prepared.

07:31Watch your pet's behavior.

07:32Do they have a decreased appetite?

07:34It's best to play it safe.

07:36When I say pets, I picture animals like dogs, cats, and hamsters.

07:41But some people have exotic pets, such as bears, owls, or crocodiles.

07:46The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries believes that 5,000 tigers are held by people in the United States alone.

07:55This number includes zoos, but the majority of them live with private owners.

08:00Mountain lions are also commonly seen among exotic pets.

08:04Maybe this is why from time to time, we encounter news telling us that something went wrong with private owners of wild animals.

08:11Do you have a pet?

08:14If you do, what's their name?

08:16Why not let us know in the comments?

08:18Throwing a snowball to your friends, putting a carrot on the snow person of yours, skating, and many more.

08:25It's the snowy winter spirit.

08:27Here's some facts about snow.

08:30Surprisingly, snow can come in different colors.

08:33Let's start with yellow snow.

08:35If it starts snowing when flowering trees are already in bloom, pollen is in the air too.

08:41Besides giving you allergies, it lands on snow-covered surfaces.

08:44In this scenario, snow blends with pollen, which results in this suspiciously yellow shade.

08:51The snow clouds can carry sand particles too.

08:54Yellowish-tinged snow was seen in South Korea in March 2006.

08:59The snow got the sand from the deserts of northern China.

09:03Pollen is oftentimes harmless.

09:05But sand-caused yellow snow isn't that innocent.

09:08It's related to air pollution.

09:10When NASA's Aura satellite detected this phenomenon, weather officials warned the public about the potential risks of this golden snow.

09:19Sometimes the color of the snow looks closer to brown, not even yellow.

09:23Certain trees, like oaks, carry a lot of tannins in the bark.

09:27These are organic compounds that protect the tree from harmful bacteria and funguses.

09:32These tannins can fall to the ground near the tree.

09:36For that to happen, it first needs to rain, and then the rain should turn into snow.

09:41The moisture makes the tannins run down.

09:45Have you ever just laid on the fresh snow and opened your mouth to let those tiny flakes in?

09:50How safe is it to eat those flakes, though?

09:53In most cases, it isn't.

09:55But here's a pro tip for snow eaters.

09:56The safest way to consume snow is by choosing a clean and white layer.

10:02Get some from the freshly fallen fluffiest part.

10:05And now, forget about it.

10:06You never know what random show in the street may contain.

10:10Blue-tinted snow is the next one on the list.

10:14A cloudy day will create darker shadows.

10:16Snow absorbs all color wavelengths.

10:18Well, almost all color wavelengths.

10:21It cannot completely absorb blue.

10:23The bottom line is that bluish snow forms due to the weather conditions.

10:28I mean, the snowflakes are actually translucent, since they're made up of ice crystals.

10:33These crystals reflect light.

10:35That's why, in regular cases, snow appears white to our eyes.

10:40Gray and black snow also exist.

10:43Here, I'm not talking about melted snow mixed with dirt near the roads.

10:47The one I'm referring to is created with the dust coming from the volcano.

10:51But it can be created with less exotic soot, ash, or motor vehicle exhaust.

10:57This type of snow is dirty.

10:59It might have a dusty or oily scent.

11:02If its color comes from petrochemicals, then it's probably toxic.

11:07The next one is watermelon snow.

11:10The name comes from the red and green color of the snow.

11:14Unlike other color versions, this one has a sweet and fruity scent.

11:18Different kinds of algae and bacteria produce watermelon snow.

11:22You would be very lucky to see it because it's seen during summer in alpine and coastal polar regions.

11:29The greenness comes from chlorophyll, and the redness comes from astaxanthin.

11:34This is sort of a pigment.

11:36Fun fact!

11:37Some animals, such as flamingos, crabs, and salmon, also get their color from that pigment.

11:42This phenomenon is super important ecologically.

11:46When the snow melts, it mixes into the waters and becomes a food source for organisms.

11:52Snow can come in different colors, but also different shapes too.

11:57An example would be snow rollers.

11:59To me, it looks as if someone is dragging an ice cream scoop through the ground.

12:04They are rare phenomenon because they need certain conditions to form.

12:07There should be wind, but it shouldn't be too strong.

12:11Typically, 30 miles per hour should do it.

12:14Yet, it depends on the snow too.

12:16It should be snowing, and how powerful the snow falls is another issue.

12:21Snow rollers occur in open prairies or hills with no obstacles like boulders or trees.

12:28It's a combo of two separate layers of snow.

12:31The first layer is the pre-existing sheet that crashed on the ground.

12:34The second one is a fresh layer of fallen snow.

12:38Imagine snow running down from the top of an ice rink, which doesn't hold on to what's under.

12:44Then, the wind carries some snow that is sticky enough to hold on to the things on its way.

12:50As the roller moves, it continues growing.

12:52If it's windy, and there's an opportunity for rolling down a hill.

12:57Now, I want to move on to other cool facts about snow.

13:01For instance, it's silence.

13:03Do you know how freshly fallen snow absorbs sound?

13:07Especially if you live in a busy city, you realize it's the quieter ambience.

13:12It literally absorbs sound waves.

13:14Think of it as a commercial sound absorbing product.

13:18Things change when it melts and refreezes.

13:20Then, the ice reflects sound waves.

13:23As a result, sound travels further.

13:26Plus, it gets clearer.

13:27It's not just us enjoying the snow.

13:31Apparently, some monkey species love it as much as we do.

13:36Japanese macaques or snow monkeys also make snowballs and play with them.

13:40Young macaques especially get attracted to snow.

13:43They steal one another's snowballs, then fight to get them back.

13:46Snow, blizzard, what else?

13:50I can count some words related to snow.

13:52But the Inuit, for example, has dozens of words for snow.

13:56And Scots has 421 terms related to the snow.

14:01For instance, scelf is a large snowflake.

14:03And unbrac means the beginning of a thaw.

14:06From one point of view, there's the cold and the risk of hypothermia.

14:12From the other point of view, animal burrows or human igloos.

14:16We associate snow with cold, but it warms you up.

14:20Since snow consists of above 90% trapped air, it's a perfect insulator.

14:26We talked about snow itself, but what about snowflakes?

14:30The shape of a snowflake is bound to the air temperature around it.

14:34Researchers examined snowflakes and found out that long, thin, needle-like ice crystals form at around 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

14:44They also investigated other ice crystal samples taken from different temperatures.

14:49The flakes appear to be flat and plate-like in lower temperatures, such as 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

14:55The snowflake can also appear with six arms or a dendritic structure as ice crystals.

15:01And that again depends on the changes in the temperature surrounding each snowflake.

15:06Maybe you heard the saying that no two snowflakes are identical.

15:10A catalog of snowflakes supports this theory.

15:13One chemistry educator detected more than 30 different types of snowflakes.

15:18They are classified as column, plain, rimmed, irregular, and so on.

15:23The reason for all this variety is the path each snowflake makes to fall to the earth.

15:29Each one of them faces a tiny bit of different atmospheric conditions on its way to the ground.

15:35All of them have six sides, that's for sure.

15:38But in 1988, a scientist found two identical snowflakes.

15:43Turns out, they can be identical.

15:45Snow can be seen in deserts too.

15:50I know it sounds super contradictory.

15:52We're accustomed to thinking about smoking hot sand, cactuses, and nothingness from a desert at first glance.

15:59In Death Valley or the Sahara Desert, snow is occasionally seen.

16:03In fact, in January 2022, some parts of the Sahara Desert got covered with a white blanket.

16:10It's not unlikely to happen all the time, but it's not impossible at all.

16:14You see, on some nights, the temperatures in the desert get low.

16:18Snow needs two things to form, cold temperatures and moist air.

16:22Sahara put a tick on both of these conditions.

16:26Bonus fact, how long is the tallest snow figure?

16:29In 2008, Bethel town residents in the U.S. united their forces with the people of surrounding towns to break a world record.

16:38The snow person was 120 feet tall.

16:41It took them more than one month to finish creating the figure.

16:45The Statue of Liberty was only a few inches taller than this figure.

16:49When we see a strong snowstorm, we call it a blizzard.

16:54That's not always so.

16:56You see, a snowstorm should meet some qualifications to be classified as a blizzard.

17:01For instance, the wind should be at least 35 miles per hour.

17:06Plus, the snow must decrease the visibility to a certain mile for three hours at the least.

17:12Otherwise, the snowfall can be named a snow squall or a snow burst.

17:17That's it for today.

17:24So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

17:29Or, if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side!

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