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While death is an unavoidable fate we all share, many premature deaths in America can, in fact, be prevented.
As someone deeply entrenched in the field of healthcare across various global settings, I frequently encounter the specter of death.
In simpler terms, I am an emergency medicine physician.
Each instance where danger emerges, whether it’s a table saw lacking a safety feature or a firearm irresponsibly kept in a pocket, emergency medicine steps in to counteract the threat.
Beyond my clinical duties, I am dedicated to public health education and preventive measures. Although it might not be great for my profession, I aim to reduce visits to the emergency department by educating the public.
Before you pop another Tylenol, hydrate, or indulge in a bouquet of your favorite blooms, consider these significant risks—it might just be the key to safeguarding your life.
Strep throat
When your throat is killing you, you should always get checked for strep.
An untreated strep throat infection can cause peritonsillar abscess, rheumatic fever, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN), and scarlet fever
Botox could kill you – but botulism much more dangerous in home-canned goods or a baby’s intestinal tract
Strep throat is caused by group A streptococcus infecting the throat and tonsils, and is killed by plain old penicillin, although other antibiotics are commonly used.
While antibiotics may help with strep throat symptoms, this is not the primary reason that we give them.
Most healthy people will likely recover from strep throat without incident, but the complications of an untreated infection can kill you, causing peritonsillar abscess, rheumatic fever, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN), and scarlet fever.
Botulism
Yes, botox can kill you, but it is unlikely since it contains only botulinum toxin, not the bacteria.
Botulism is everywhere. C. botulinum bacterial spores are very common in soil and dust worldwide, but are mostly harmless in this form.
Botulism becomes a problem when it is activated in low-acid, low-oxygen environments, like in home-canned goods or a baby’s intestinal tract.
This is why babies under one year of age cannot have honey: it is known to contain Botulism spores, and why it is so important for infant formula to be made under strict regulations that prevent contamination.
In November 2025, ByHeart recalled its formula due to a botulism contamination, causing an estimated 83 cases of potentially lethal infantile botulism.
Water
Water may have killed Bruce Lee, and it caused Brooke Shields to have a seizure.
Although we all know we can drown in it, most people don’t know that drinking water can kill you.
Brooke Shields had a grand mal seizure caused by drinking too much water
Bruce Lee is thought to have died as a result of hyponatremia
Hyponatremia occurs when a person drinks more water than their kidneys can excrete.
Adult kidneys can excrete about 20 liters of water daily, but cannot exceed 1 liter per hour.
Rapid or excessive water intake will decrease the concentration of salts in the blood, especially sodium.
When the concentration of sodium in the blood decreases rapidly, it can be dangerous, causing brain swelling, seizures, and – yes – death.
Over-the-counter medications
The number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States is sitting in your medicine cabinet.
Acetaminophen, commonly known as the brand Tylenol in the US, is a ubiquitous, seemingly innocuous medication that is deadly in overdose, and is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States.
No adult should ever take more than 4,000mg, or four grams, of acetaminophen in 24 hours.
Acetaminophen dosing is weight-based, so it may be less for smaller people, and it is also less for adults with liver dysfunction.
Tylenol seems harmless, but taking more than 4g in 24 hours could cause acute liver failure
Another over-the-counter medication that is deadly in overdose is iron. This includes multivitamins containing iron, so keep prenatal vitamins locked and away from children.
Hepatitis A, B, C
Hepatitis A, B, C, it’s easy as 1, 2, 3 to contract – which is why these viruses are so prevalent.
While Hepatitis C most certainly can kill you, it is not preventable in the same way as Hepatitis A and B, which are vaccine-preventable diseases.
The World Health Organization estimates that 254 million people are chronic carriers of the virus, with 1.2 million new infections annually.
Hepatitis B is spread through bodily fluids and can survive on surfaces for up to seven days.
Acute hepatitis B infection can appear months after contracting the virus, with symptoms of jaundice, loss of appetite, fever, and liver pain in the right upper abdomen, but many patients have no outward symptoms.
Hepatitis B results in an estimated 1.1 million annual deaths worldwide, many of which are due to hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer is a leading cause of human death worldwide, and almost all primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma caused by hepatitis B and C.
Recently, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) changed its recommendations, no longer recommending Hepatitis B in infants.
The CDC no longer recommends Hepatitis B vaccines to infants – experts believe the decision will result in the death of infants
Lilies look and smell beautiful – but ingesting even a small amount could cause your throat to swell, blocking the airway
Ninety percent of children under the age of one who contract Hepatitis B will have chronic infection, with one fourth dying from the disease. Vaccine experts have stated there was no scientific basis for the CDC’s decision, and children will die because of it.
Measles and whooping cough are other vaccine-preventable diseases that have made recent comebacks in the US due to waning vaccination rates. These diseases, once major causes of death in children, are wholly preventable.
Houseplants
Assume anything with ‘lily’ in it is poisonous: calla lily, peace lily, lily of the valley.
These are traditional funeral flowers in many cultures, which is oddly appropriate, and they do smell lovely.
Lily of the valley contains cardiac glycosides, while calla and peace lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause pain and swelling of the mouth and throat with ingestion, blocking the airway.
Avoid eating these flowers, using particular care around children and pets.
Other poisonous houseplants include tulips, irises, and rhododendrons – know what you are bringing home in your bouquet.
Potatoes
Though the marketing ploy of the ‘best by’ date may cause unnecessary food waste, some foods do expire with consequences beyond a funny taste.
For instance, potatoes – especially those stored for long periods, that turn green or begin sprouting – can produce solanine, a neurotoxic poison.
Don’t be tempted to eat those green, sprouting potatoes – they could be poisonous
As many as half of American homes are missing a life-saving carbon monoxide detector
In 1952, there was a solanine poison outbreak reported in North Korea due to stored potatoes during wartime, which affected hundreds and killed dozens.
Sprouted and green potatoes should serve as a flashing red light to avoid eating.
Carbon monoxide
While smoke detectors are present in more than 90 percent of our homes, carbon monoxide detectors are missing in up to half.
CO is a gas that is inhaled, passes through the lung tissue to the blood, and then blocks oxygen from getting to your vital organs, causing stroke and swift death.
Only 14 US states require hotels to have CO detectors, and this does not apply to home rentals.
Even daycares aren’t federally required to have them, leading to the 2022 poisoning of 24 children at Happy Smile Learning Center in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-eight states now require CO detectors in homes, but many of these laws only apply to newly built homes, which is why more than half of US homes do not have CO detectors, meaning you probably don’t have one.
Sex
Did you know Casanova was a real person? The Italian explorer, known for his artful seduction technique of paying sex workers, Casanova had syphilis, genital herpes, and a lot of gonorrhea.
Alker’s book is published by St Martin’s Press and is out on January 13
Nobody wants to have ‘death by gonorrhea’ on their death certificate
In his autobiography, aka diary, he states he didn’t use condoms because he didn’t like ‘shutting [himself] up in a piece of dead skin in order to prove that [he was] well and truly alive.’
Right, like women haven’t heard that before.
The CDC has a superbug watchlist of the most urgent bacterial threats, which includes Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Yes, the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, and soon there will be no antibiotics left to bail out the next generation of promiscuous college students.
To avoid death by STI, which makes for an uncouth obituary, have yourself and your sexual partners checked for STIs before sexual contact and use a condom for 50–90 percent prevention, which is much better than zero.
Exclusive excerpt from 99 Ways To Die: And How to Avoid Them by Ashely Alker, MD, published by St Martin’s Press, January 13
