The counter is ticking: the micromort is the most creepy unit of measurement

Modern science can calculate anything and has a huge arsenal of units of measurement for this purpose. An ordinary person knows only a few dozen of them, and some of them can not even assume the existence. One of the most exotic and at the same time creepy units is considered a micromort. With its help, you can measure the most important thing that every person has – his life.

The micromort is a relatively young unit of measurement that appeared only at the end of the 20th century. It was invented by Ronald A. Howard, a professor at Stanford University, who urgently needed a special measure for analyzing solutions. 1 micromort is the probability of death, which can be defined as 1 chance in 1 million.

That is, in simple words, a micromort shows the probability of death in a particular case, as well as taking into account the totality of various factors. This unit is used by sociologists for various statistical studies and analyses, as well as by insurance companies to determine the probability of a person's death.

Micromorts accumulate throughout our lives – every hour a person receives 1.63 micromorts. That is, we get 39 of them in a day, if we are simply not busy with anything. But the units are also counted as bonuses, for different types of activities that pose even a minimal risk to health and life.

For example, smokers receive 1 micromort for every 1.4 cigarettes smoked for increasing the likelihood of death from lung cancer or cardiovascular disease. One micromort is supposed to drink 0.5 liters for each bottle of wine because of the increased chance of earning cirrhosis of the liver.

The same amount is added for 16 km that are covered by bike. When walking, one micromort is added for every 27 km, and when driving-for every 370 km. All these risks are associated with the probability of an accident or other accident. But those who prefer to use rail transport get one micromort as much as 9656 kilometers. That is, traveling from Moscow to Vladivostok by train is hundreds of times safer than a city bike ride!

There is also more interesting data regarding food and entertainment. For every 100 kebabs or steaks fried on an open fire, we get 1 micromort for the risk of getting cancer due to the content of benzopyrene in the product. You can get a micromort even for riding a horse – two rides and here's another "unit of death".

It turns out that the more active a person leads a life, the faster he accumulates micromorts or, in popular parlance, the stronger he tempts fate. But this does not mean that you should lock yourself in four walls and limit yourself to your 1.63 micromorts per hour, since in a chronic heart disease caused by a sedentary lifestyle, an imaginary micromort counter turns like a propeller.