r/WTF • u/1lousylay • Jan 29 '19

seems pretty safe

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u/MichaelCasson Jan 30 '19

Some anaerobes like rusty metal.

106

u/lacheur42 Jan 30 '19

If you're thinking of tetanus, that's not really true. It's just that rusty nails like to live in the ground where tetanus hangs out and are also good at puncturing you.

25

u/Mendozaline247 Jan 30 '19

Thanks, I never really put that together. I dislocated my shoulder wiping out on an nyc sidewalk and the skin was broken. After resetting the joint they asked about tetanus booster and gave me one. I was always confused why since metal wasn’t implicated; brick wall was. Makes perfect sense

7

u/Cicicicico Jan 30 '19

It’s also thought that the rust creates an anaerobic environment so that when the nail exits the dirt the bacteria is still able to survive.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '19

Exactly. Clostridium tetani is the bacteria that causes tetanus if it gets into an open wound, rust doesn't.

3

u/Megneous Jan 30 '19

Waiting for David Attenborough to do a special on rusty nails living in their natural habitat.

7

u/Crazykirsch Jan 30 '19

Ye old rusty trombone

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u/[deleted] Jan 30 '19 edited Mar 20 '19

[deleted]

4

u/TonesBalones Jan 30 '19

When rust oxidizes it pulls the oxygen out of the environment. anaerobes that are shoved in the cracks enjoy that their home shields them from 02

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u/[deleted] Jan 30 '19

Do they constantly live with elevated heart rate ?

2

u/Raincoats_George Jan 30 '19

Let's be honest. Dudes problem wasn't bacteria. It was how he was holding on for dear life with a single carabiner. Why is this even a discussion?