Bicycles, razors, and zippers -- ranked in the name of public health



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Data just published in the Journal of Urology considers a decade of genitourinary injuries in American adults -- trauma that's "remarkable given its uniquely sensitive nature and possible reproductive consequences." Researchers at UCSF looked a national sample of emergency room visits tied to the (mis)use of consumer products, conducted by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, with the goal of understanding how such injuries might be prevented.

Since 2002, the number of incidences has remained more or less steady at about 16,000 per year. Here are the biggest things to watch out for, based on number of adults who report to U.S. emergency rooms with these injuries each year:

Bicycles (1,212) Razors, scissors and clippers (1,089) Zippers (951)

Bathroom falls and mishaps (818)

Basketball (309)

Baseball and softball (240) Skiing and snowboarding (182)

The injuries occurred with more frequency during summer months. And as might be imagined just from the list, men accounted for two-thirds of the E.R. visits. But women weren't exempt -- the number of infections and lacerations related to trimming and shaving increased five-fold from 2002 to 2010.