Looking back at the ’90s, everything we did back then seemed pretty normal. But in hindsight, the changes we have witnessed since then make the ‘90s seem pretty dangerous. To illustrate, here are a few “safe” things from the ‘90s that you’ll agree are quite dangerous.
Secondhand Smoke
Outrageously, it was much more acceptable to smoke in public in the ’90s, even indoors. Thankfully, the dangers of secondhand smoke are now well-documented, leading to widespread smoking bans in most areas. Public awareness campaigns have highlighted the health risks associated with passive smoke exposure, and although people still do it, at least secondhand smoke isn’t as bad of a problem.
Sunbathing Without Sunscreen
During the ‘90s, tanning was becoming increasingly popular, but shockingly, it was commonly done without adequate sun protection. The risks of UV exposure, including skin cancer and premature aging, are now well-known, but back then, many of us wouldn’t even wear sunscreen.
Playground Equipment Without Padding
It’s shocking how dangerous playground equipment was in the ’90s–it was almost as if we didn’t care about our kids. They often lacked adequate padding, leading to many injuries from falls. Today, playgrounds are designed with safety in mind, featuring cushioned surfaces and safer equipment to protect children from harm.
Lead-Based Paint
While it seems outrageous to look back on, lead-based paint was commonly used in homes and toys during the ’90s. Now, it’s famous for causing serious health problems, particularly in children, which is shocking. Lead exposure can lead to developmental issues and other health concerns, so everyone quickly scraped off their lead-based paint one day while their kids were busy at school.
Trampolines Without Safety Nets
These days, if you own a trampoline, it will come with a very important feature: the safety net. This prevents users from bouncing off the trampoline and injuring themselves, a very smart idea in hindsight. However, this never existed back in the day–we would bounce however hard we wanted to bounce, and ultimately, it often hurt pretty badly when we fell.
Inline Skates Without Protective Gear
Another thing from the ‘90s that is now considered dangerous is inline skating, which was a major trend in the ’90s. Many enthusiasts skated without proper protective gear, leading to countless injuries, particularly to wrists, knees, and heads. Nowadays, safety gear like helmets and pads are strongly recommended for skaters of all ages.
Roller Coasters Without Seatbelts
Believe it or not, some older roller coasters and amusement rides from the ’90s lacked proper restraint systems and didn’t even have seatbelts. Advances in safety standards have, thankfully, led to improved designs with seatbelts and harnesses to protect riders. These measures have significantly reduced the risk of accidents, making us wonder what we were thinking back in the ‘90s.
Portable Heaters Without Safety Features
If you buy a portable heater today, it will come with an automatic shut-off mechanism if it falls over, along with other safety measures to prevent accidents, making them much safer for home use. These didn’t exist in the ‘90s, though, although the sheer amount of fire incidents that occurred certainly gave us a reason to invent them.
Asbestos in Building Materials
One of the saddest mistakes of the ‘90s was lining buildings with asbestos for insulation, a mistake that ultimately killed countless people. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious respiratory diseases, including cancer. Today, the use of asbestos is strictly regulated, and removal requires professional handling.
Car Seats Without LATCH System
In the ‘90s, child seats may have seemed safe, but they really weren’t. They often lacked the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system, making them harder to install securely. Thankfully, the introduction of LATCH has improved the safety and ease of installing car seats, significantly reducing the risk of injury to our precious kids.
Crib Bumpers
Back in the day, crib bumpers were a standard feature in ‘90s baby cribs, but they’re now known to pose suffocation and entanglement risks to infants. Many safety guidelines now advise against using crib bumpers to ensure a safer sleeping environment for babies, which was pretty terrifying considering how common they were.
High-Lead Toys
It really does seem that we were obsessed with lead in the ‘90s despite it being so deadly to our children. We even produced toys that contained high levels of lead, almost as if we didn’t care. Thankfully, stricter regulations and better manufacturing practices have since reduced the presence of lead in children’s toys, making them far safer to play with.
Lawn Chemicals
While pesticides and herbicides are still used in the modern world, the chemicals we used in the ’90s often contained harmful chemicals. Exposure to these substances had the potential to lead to serious health issues, prompting the development of the safer, eco-friendly alternatives we use today. Public awareness of the risks has also increased, leading to more cautious use.
Bike Helmets Without Standards
These days, we understand that bike helmets must follow specific safety procedures, but perhaps unsurprisingly, bike helmets in the ’90s often lacked uniform safety standards. Advances in helmet design and stricter regulations have led to helmets that offer better protection against head injuries, with them having to meet rigorous safety criteria to ensure legality.
Fireworks at Home
Particularly during the holiday season, setting off fireworks at home was a common practice in the ’90s, and it certainly came with its fair share of accidents and injuries. Stricter laws and public safety campaigns now discourage home fireworks, promoting safer, professional displays instead. That may seem boring, but it’s probably for the best.
Lack of Cybersecurity
In the ’90s, cybersecurity was essentially a non-existent concept, and many systems lacked adequate protection. The most common password was “password,” although we quickly learned that this was insecure and that we needed to protect our data. These days, it’s absurd to think about, especially considering our never-ending list of complicated passwords and cybersecurity software.
Non-Eco-Friendly Plastics
A staple of the ‘90s was plastics being widely used in everything, and unfortunately, they were often non-biodegradable, contributing to environmental pollution. Thankfully, increased awareness of plastic pollution has led to the development and use of more eco-friendly, biodegradable materials to reduce environmental impact, leaving much of our plastic waste in the past.