1. Concerns about chemical preservatives in food
Users note that additives like ethoxyquin are deliberately added to spices to prevent oxidation, prompting some to make their own blends.
“I make a lot of chili. Ethoxyquin is a good reason to mix your own chili powder.” – enoint
“It's used as a preservative/additive for chili powder, paprika, and ground peppers in the US.” – code_duck
2. Real risks of spontaneous heating/self‑ignition in organic materials
Many commenters describe how oily rags, fishmeal, mulch, hay, and grain dust can heat up and ignite without an external spark.
“If you leave a pile of oily rags in your garage and wait a few hours, your house could burn down. No spark needed.” – dreamcompiler
“If you have a big enough pile of organic matter, exothermic decomposition can lead to fire, if the conditions are right. Commonly happens in grain silos, mulch piles, etc.” – toast0
“Those events aren't spontaneous combustion, an ignition source is needed … Spontaneously combustible substances undergo exothermic reactions in normal conditions …” – SAI_Peregrinus
3. Debate over causes, misconceptions, and preventive strategies
Discussion distinguishes true spontaneous combustion from dust explosions and stresses that safer (but costlier) handling methods exist, yet cheap chemical fixes are often preferred.
“There's lots of ways to make handling such things safe: climate control, inert atmospheres, rotating out material, compartmentalization, automatic fire suppression etc. The problem is that these are very expensive compared to the dirt cheap methods used in commercial fisheries.” – advisedwang
“as to the fish meal catching fire, there are other solutions, pulling a partial vacuum and flooding with CO², refrigerating/freezing, or using antioxidants …” – metalman
“Americans' breast milk is full of fire retardants, found in 100% of samples taken.” – kevmo (illustrating broader concerns about chemical exposure).