Have you ever noticed strange, black marks on the public toilet changing table?
It turns out they’re far more sinister than we thought.
A US mum has shared a warning about the scuff marks, claiming the black marks are the result of drug use.
Posting to Facebook, Indiana mum Jessica Wayman shared a photo of the marked change table with a warning for parents.
“PSA: Before putting your babies anywhere near these things, ALWAYS wipe them down first. Even if you are in a hurry, even if you have a blanket to lay down,” Wayman wrote.
“See the black marks? Those are from burnt spoons,” she explained.
“Addicts use these as tables when they shoot up. There could be residue from heroin/meth whatever, and other harmful bodily fluids.
“If someone doesn’t care about themselves, I can promise you, they aren’t thinking about your kids. Be cautious.”
Since Wayman posted the PSA over the weekend, the warning to parents has been shared over 150,000 times.
“Thank you for sharing. I would have never known,” one mother wrote.
But while many Facebook users thanked Wayman for sharing the warning, others claimed she was making up the information and fear-mongering parents.
Wayman has now edited her post to admit that she is a recovering addict.
“Yes, this is VERY REAL,” she added to the post.
“I am a recovering addict myself, which is why I made this post in the first place, to warn all the unsuspecting parents who would never think something like this when looking at a changing table.
“Along with people using them as tables while they shoot up, they are also OFTEN used by addicts to bust drugs out and crush them up upon. So again, be cautious.”
The issue of drug use on public baby change tables has been investigated in the past – and the results were harrowing.
A study in the UK in 2011, which tested 100 public baby change tables, found that 9 in 10 changing tables contained traces of cocaine.
Watch: Do you have to be happy after having a baby. We discuss on our podcast, Year One.
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Top Comments
I have never seen these
Seems like scaremongering to me. A bit like the stories you see about women and/or children being stalked and abducted from Walmart or Target carparks - never any substance to the story. No details, no police records of anything like that ever happening, just enough ‘information’ to stir up panic. Probably not a bad idea to wipe down the change table though, probably covered in germs at the very least!