Comments on: Wacky warning labels and the wacko's that need 'em

Wacky warning labels and the wacko's that need 'em

icontemplate — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 14:53:45 -0800

Wacky Warning Labels: Toilet brush that warns, "Do NOT use for personal hygiene." Have you ever been so desperate to fight plaque and gingivitis?

By: buriednexttoyou

buriednexttoyou — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:09:13 -0800

Hey, the 2nd place guy is from my hometown! All right! Does anybody remember the guy in that one Hitchhiker's Guide book that enclosed the entire earth in an insane asylum because he saw a pack of toothpicks with instructions on the box?

By: cilantro

cilantro — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:13:15 -0800

what about hairdryer tags that say "do not use in shower?" Mine has one of those.

By: chasing

chasing — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:25:17 -0800

Is MLAW one of those organizations that would -- if it had its way -- severely weaken consumer rights under the aegis of stopping people like the apocryphal Woman From New Mexico who won $1,000,000,000 for walking into a McDonald's and cackling as she poured gallon after gallon of cold coffee on herself? You know, by limiting personal injury lawsuits to $10 and a free meal at a participating IHOP? Something seems unsavory about their website and I'm always worried that those "Gosh, aren't people dumb?" sorts of lists don't tell the full stories... On a more serious note: My favorite solution to the supposed lawsuit abuse problem would be to allow much of the punative damages to go into public coffers. So the filer of the lawsuit would receive compensation but the people of the state of California, say, would benefit as well. And large corporations could still be kicked in the financial crotch for screwing up.

By: Saucy Intruder

Saucy Intruder — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:25:20 -0800

litigation explosion is hurting America Did someone say explosion? (chases ambulance)

By: vetiver

vetiver — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:36:27 -0800

Have you ever been so desperate to fight plaque and gingivitis? But what about that "not-so-fresh" feeling?

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:40:42 -0800

Toilet brush that warns, "Do NOT use for personal hygiene." All because of one Polish joke.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:44:06 -0800

In fairness, these labels are not for the average customer, or even for the ignorant customer who might use that packaging material for a baby pillow. It's for the lawyers, who can later say to the judge, "We told her in writing not to do that." Here's my submission: FOR AGRICULTURAL USE ONLY WARNING! FLAMMABLE HARMFUL IF INHALED CAUSES EYE IRRITATION. KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT, SPARKS AND FLAME. KEEP CONTAINER CLOSED. AVOID BREATHING VAPOR USE WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. AVOID CONTACT WITH EYES. WASH THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Call a physician. In case of eye contact, flush with water for 15 minutes. in case of fire, use water spray, foam, dry chemical or Carbon Dioxide. Contains water, IPA, shellac, protein, fatty acid soaps, ammonia, silicone antifoam, and propylparaben as a wax preservative. ...and it goes on and on with WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER ...and this label is from a drum of... PENNWALT DECCO APL-LUSTR® 221 ...the shiny stuff they spray on apples to make them pretty in the supermarket.

By: TheIrreverend

TheIrreverend — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:45:25 -0800

also see here

By: Wet Spot

Wet Spot — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:51:26 -0800

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:27:24 -0800

Yeah, but shellac is commonly used in the candy industry. We've all eaten it. It's just bug poop dissolved in alcohol. All that other stuff is just the carrier that evaporates, leaving lac excrement on your apples.

By: alasdair

alasdair — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:28:59 -0800

Erm... is the concern really that it will be used for teeth? I mean, it's a handy brush next to a water source, so one might foresee problems with people using it to clean around their anuses after defaecating.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:54:34 -0800

No, no--that's what thermometers are for.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:55:25 -0800

ewwwwwwwwww

By: icontemplate

icontemplate — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 17:20:17 -0800

D'oh. Didn't mean to write about plaque and gingivitis.

By: sour cream

sour cream — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 21:23:58 -0800

This page on the same site contains a listing of a number of frivolous lawsuits.

By: ParisParamus

ParisParamus — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 21:35:20 -0800

Hasn't Jay Leno and John Carson been doing this for decades?

By: wildeep

wildeep — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 11:39:34 -0800

Those are the sane ones.

By: palancik

palancik — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 12:17:49 -0800

Look at the "about us" list and you'll see a lot of connections to businesses with evident reasons to want limits on their liability--"concerned citizens" like the president of Amigo Mobility, the head of neurosurgery at a Grand Rapids hospital, the founder of Koegel Meats (think e. coli), et al. Director Emeritus is from Michigan's Mackinac Center, which is a statewide group (headquartered about 6 blocks from my house in Midland, MI) behind rightwing pet projects--lawsuit caps, tax cuts for business, charter schools, and other items on the usual laundry list. As Chasing said above, it's the same ploy as the McDonald's coffee lawsuit--use ridicule and material out of context to build support for legal action reaching far beyond the original problem (to the extent that there is a problem). Actually, my favorite pointless label is the one you see on the back of airline seats: Fasten Seat Belts While Seated. Has there been a plague of people trying to fasten their seat belts from some other position?

By: deborah

deborah — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 16:16:43 -0800

I should have entered the contest. We have a TV remote control that says "Do Not Wash in Dishwasher."

By: WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot — Sun, 09 Jan 2005 12:03:20 -0800

I saved a label from a medicine bottle that read, "Caution: To be taken with or without water." How could someone not heed that warning?

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 05:59:09 -0800

Caution! may cause skin and eye irritation. May cause respiratory tract irritation. May cause digestive tract irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. For eye contact, flush with water for 15 minutes and get medical aid immediately. For skin contact, flush with water and get medical aid. If ingested, give 2-4 cupfuls of milk or water and get medical aid. If inhaled, remove to fresh air and get medical aid. IMPORTANT! Do not use this product until Medical Safety Data Sheet has been read and understood. the above label found on a container of sodium chloride (read: non-iodized table salt). seriously, there needs to be fewer warnings. if you really need a label on the 7-up bottle telling you to point it away from your face while opening it, maybe the universe just doesn't want you to have two eyes. having said that, i once found my brother-in-law washing dishes with a toilet brush. in an unrelated note, i will never eat anything he has helped prepare.