Why do my q-tips have an expiration date?

I've been wondering about this for awhile. I have this box of q-tips, Touch of Charm is the brand, made in Poland but must be an international company since everything on the label is in English. It sits on my little shelf, under the bathroom mirror, above the sink. There isn't much on the shelf, so this box is what I look at while shaving or brushing my teeth and a couple weeks ago I noticed that it had an expiration date on the side. Apparently, these cotton swabs will no longer be good after September 2009. I'm not worried, mind you, I love cleaning my ears and this box will be empty soon. But I can't help wondering, what happens after 9/09? It's not like these are sterile swabs, there are no active ingredients that could lose potency, I doubt that they become poisonous or dangerous in any way. Yet, somebody, somewhere, felt it was important to print this date on the side.
There's a reason behind it and I'm curious. It's the same curiousity I had upon finding the warranty for a new stainless steel pump at Starbucks once. It said, "Use of this product with sauerkraut invalidates this warranty." Why? What could possibly prompt the inclusion of this statement? Or the warning signs on those cloth towels in restrooms, the kind that you pull down and it rolls back up into the case. Most of them have this picture of someone choking with the towel loop around their neck. Companies don't put warnings on for fun, something, some event inspired it. People just don't use common sense.
These things seem silly. You just can't imagine why they are necessary. But then I think, what if someone had put a label like that on Iraq? "Warning: Invasion may cause death; suffering; sectarian violence; civil war; loss of infrastructure, faith in government; erosion of civil liberties. May also increase jingoistic rhetoric, international tensions and religious fanaticism, regardless of belief." It's like the bit on a coffee cup: everyone knows its hot and you shouldn't spill it on yourself, but there's always one asshole who needs it spelled out.
But I am going to save a q-tip for a couple years, just to see what happens.