What are examples of things that are harmless to humans, but harmful to items?
Asked by
flo (
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July 8th, 2021
“If something is harmless to humans, it has to be harmless to objects” Is that false sometimes? If so, what are some, or one example?
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11 Answers
Well, if the objects are robots, computers, or “smart” devices, then: malicious software, power failures, immersion in water, and strong magnetic pulses, would be examples.
If the objects are spiderwebs, then gentle touches.
Etc.
An oil spill in some remote location might not affect humans very much but it will devastate wild life for years.
Air is really bad for the inside of mechanical hard drives.
Vinegar is safe for humans, but destructive to pearls.
A static electricity spark from my fingertip can kill electronics.
Avocado is toxic to dogs and birds, horses and rodents are especially sensitive to avocado toxicity. Seeds, skin, flesh (meat) and bark on tree are all toxic to non humans.
Really, @Tropical_Willie? I never heard that, so I didn’t worry about it. I did have a cat that liked guacamole, though, and never showed ill effects. He’d come and help himself from a bowl on the floor while we were sitting on beanbag chairs watching TV.
Most of the time water is harmless to humans (excluding edge cases like drinking contaminated or excessive quantities of water, or things like floods/drowning), but even a small amount of clean water is pretty destructive to many objects like paper, wood, drywall, electronics, etc.
Citrus oils are used in hand cleansers but will ruin varnish.
Bright light is harmless to humans but harmful to paintings. AC is harmless to humans but harmful to tropical plants.
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