A number of older adults reminisce about "back in the day," when kids went outside for hours getting real exercise instead of smart phone finger workouts. Yet there were definitely some drawbacks to those halcyon days. One little peccadillo of the times was a hazardous substance or ten used in manufacturing.
In this case, we're talking asbestos. Even the tiniest specks of asbestos cause a cancer called mesothelioma, and the blow dryers of old were full of the fibrous mineral. Popular manufacturers of hairdryers such as General Electric and Conair advertised the force of air that conveniently and quickly dried the hair of their customers. It also had the unadvertised bonus of asbestos particles continually being blown in their faces. Though a recall was issued in 1979, it was unsuccessful for the most part. Only an estimated three million of 18 million blowdryers were recovered.
Read about other vintage appliances that could have done people in here.
Image: Till Niermann