Apply to Keep from Burning Yet You’ll Catch Fire!

Over the weekend, sunscreen giant Banana Boat announced a recall of one of their popular sunscreen lotions because of the risk of fire.

You read that right – fire!

According to Banana Boat, the lotion in question doesn't dry fast enough, and if exposed to extreme heat, there is the risk of it – and the person wearing the sunscreen – of catching fire.

As of this writing, one person was seriously burned after the Banana Boat sunscreen he was wearing erupted into flames, after he applied the lotion, and then began to BBQ.

What a world to live in, where even the potions, lotions and creams we apply on a regular basis can ignite and cause serious injury.

The greater irony of a sunscreen, which is supposed to prevent you from burning your skin, that can actually cause third-degree burns is humours in a sense.

But the real issue here is quality control.

It wasn’t all that long ago, when quality products and services actually existed. The old adage was almost always true – you get what you pay for. However, even the lowest priced items were safe, and usually did the job.

These days, even when you spend money on what you think is a quality, brand name product, you take your chances, as corporations have cut corners to the point where you really just don’t know.

You really just don’t know if that juicy thick steak you’re about to bite into is going to give you food poisoning. You really just don’t know if the breaks in your car will keep you from rear-ending the guy in front. You really don’t know if the sunscreen you applied will keep your skin from burning – or in the case of Banana Boat’s recall – catching fire.

I miss the old days – which weren't that old and long ago – when you didn't have to second guess anything, because you really did know that the products sold on store shelves were at the very least, safe.

Big, greedy corporations – and small and medium sized ones too – are the primary offenders here, as they overlook obvious safety concerns to save a buck. But the ultimate scapegoat is our politicians for cutting back on government employees paid to look in and enforce the laws, which were originally put in place to keep us safe.

As governments cut costs and lay off enforcement officers in all sectors, or cut salaries to these support staffs as they often raise their own wages, we end up with zero to no quality controls in place, as big business doesn't see the need to obey the rules.

And as businesses continue to let quality controls go, we all suffer, as the goods and services we purchase which may actually cause us harm increase, yet the penalties for allowing these dangerous products in the marketplace decreases.

So we as a society become increasingly cynical, yet accepting of shoddy products and questionable services.

It’s a recipe for disaster as the longer companies are allowed to get away with inferior products, the greater the risk to us all.