Who knew pizza was such a health hazard?
Yes, it’s full of calories and carbs, but those don’t send you to the emergency room. In 2018, however, nearly 4,000 people went to the hospital for a pizza-related injury.
» This is the best pizza in Atlanta, according to AJC readers
That number was released Sunday — National Pizza Day — by Babylon Health, a medical services provider. Babylon analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, run by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Findings were based on medical records from a sample of "100 emergency departments across the country in which the word "pizza" was included in doctors' notes," the New York Post reported.
In 2018, there were 3,800 such reports, which is about 50% more than the 2,300 reported in 2017.
The injuries weren’t always caused by the pizza, however.
People went to the ER because they injured their finger with a pizza cutter; they tripped while carrying pizza up some stairs; they poked the roof of their mouth with a fork while eating pizza; and they swallowed their tongue ring while eating a slice.
» Two Atlanta pizza joints make Daily Meal's list of top 101 in US
» The best pizza in Atlanta is actually in Gwinnett, Zagat says
» More than a dozen new places to try pizza in metro Atlanta
