[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

Other than a wounded pride, can a mustache growing contest affect one's health negatively?

[alancalverd]

Only if you try to encourage growth by pulling on it or feeding it with toxic chemicals. Otherwise, beard growth is a perfectly  natural process that avoids the dangers of shaving.

[Origin]

Other than a wounded pride, can a mustache growing contest affect one's health negatively?

I have read many stories where these types of contest have resulted in some extremely dire consequences.

[alancalverd]

Only in third-world countries whose democratically elected president is either a drooling idiot or a convicted criminal. I understand that it is not an offence to shoot anyone with a longer moustache in Alabama or Texas. You can be imprisoned for organising such a contest in California or New York because half the population can't grow significant facial hair #metoo.

[Bored chemist]

Flammability?
(I realise nobody here knows what I look like, but I fit the stereotype of beard, 'tache, glasses and unkempt hair.)

[alancalverd]

60 years ago, almost to the day, I attended compulsory staff fire training for an industrial chemistry lab. The Fire Safety Officer  donned his breathing apparatus, ignited the petrol-soaked dummy, and rushed forward to encase the victim in a blanket. Massive round of applause, followed by his assistant dousing said FSO's blazing beard with a water extinguisher, to even more applause and hysterical laughter.

[paul cotter]

Alas I can't match BC's appearance, I have just got two of those descriptors, the 'tache and the unkempt hair.

[Bored chemist]

Alas I can't match BC's appearance, I have just got two of those descriptors, the 'tache and the unkempt hair.

Saves you getting this comparison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Shipman

[Bored chemist]

60 years ago, almost to the day, I attended compulsory staff fire training for an industrial chemistry lab. The Fire Safety Officer  donned his breathing apparatus, ignited the petrol-soaked dummy, and rushed forward to encase the victim in a blanket. Massive round of applause, followed by his assistant dousing said FSO's blazing beard with a water extinguisher, to even more applause and hysterical laughter.

On a possibly more important note, a lot of RPE doesn't work well if you have facial hair.

[alancalverd]

Another mad recollection, this time from a physics laboratory.

The local fire brigade used one of our hangars for a training exercise. The scenario was that a couple of blokes were soaked with corrosive chemicals and trapped under debris at the far end of the smoke-filled building. The rescuers wore haze goggles with their full chemical kit, and had to crawl towards the shouting victims, extract and decontaminate them, and hand them over to the ambulance  crew.

All worked beautifully until one of the firefighters leaned over a decontaminated "casualty" to thank him. His helmet fell off and hit the casualty, rendering him unconscious.

[paul cotter]

BC, I would not consider Shipman's hair to be particularly unkempt, you obviously haven't seen mine! With my carefully maintained scruffy appearance nobody bothers me and no attempt has ever been made to rob/mug me, so far.

[Bored chemist]

Incidentally, is it just me or does the forum software think other people consider this format helpful?

glitch.JPG (57.08 kB . 943x539 - viewed 330 times)

[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

Alas I can't match BC's appearance, I have just got two of those descriptors, the 'tache and the unkempt hair.

Saves you getting this comparison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Shipman

I thought he died of beard cancer.