Pop, pop, pop…catastrophe!
To most people, bubble wrap is one of those materials which make you smile when you come across it. This is usually because it is wrapped around a gift or has brought your TV safely to your door while moving and its fun qualities make it more like an extra toy to play with. Everyone has at some stage enjoyed the act of popping those lovely bubbles. You can even buy an app for your smart phone which are just bubbles which you can pop by touching the screen. This is never going to be as good as the real thing, but some believe that the noise alone can be a great stress reliever.
Enough about its merits for now though, as bubble wrap has a darker side. Here are some scenarios which should make you more wary of this otherwise joyous material.
Suffocation
The fact is that bubbles can kill. Much like a plastic bag, getting bubble wrap trapped over your nose and mouth will suffocate the victim. When children get toys wrapped in bubbles, it is a good idea to take the bubble wrap away as soon as possible. This can be tricky though as kids love to play with bubbles as much as you do.
Trip Hazard
Another danger that bubble wrap offers is as something to trip over. As bubbles are used for packaging, it is often Sellotaped to itself or around something creating a loop. This is a terrible hazard for anyone walking or running near the packaging as they can trip or slip on it and hit their head. It is also not uncommon for people to enjoy popping it with their feet. With Sellotape often left attached, your glee could turn into terror as you trip over some bubble wrap you have inadvertently stuck to your shoe.
Running Out
A different kind of disaster is when you run out of bubble wrap. If you are moving house and are surrounded by packing boxes and a pile of breakables, running out of bubbles can be a real disaster. While newspaper is substitute it never offers the precious kind of protection that bubble wrap provides.
No matter what you use bubbles for, you would be wise not to underestimate the disasters that can be caused by its presence or indeed its absence. These fun sheets of popping plastic bubbles may seem like a gift from the fun Gods, but if you are not careful you could die.
