Public Changing Tables With Scuff Marks May Be Dangerous

Public diaper changing tables can make some parent wary. After all, how many wet bums have been changed there? They may contain traces of baby poop or urine, so most parents are smart to bring a blanket or changing pad to place on top of those public changing tables.

Even covering the table with a changing pad of your own could also be germy… but as a parent, have you ever though to disinfect a public changing table before even placing another changing pad down?

You might want to consider after reading this. According to one mom, when you see a public changing table with black scuff marks, it may not only be dirty, but dangerous. In a Facebook post, Jessica Wayman from Fairland, Indiana, explained that black scuff marks on a changing table may not be dirt marks, but can be residue from hard drugs.

Wayman, 24, shared a photo on Facebook alongside a 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," she wrote. "See the black marks? Those are from burnt spoons. Addicts use these as tables while 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."

She added a request for people to share the post, so that as many caregivers as possible could learn about the potential danger of public changing tables.

Wayman's post has gone viral, with over 170,000 shares and 21,000 reactions. She later edited the post to explain that the changing tables where one should look out for those black scuff marks are located in handicapped stalls or single-person restrooms, because drug users could use those rooms privately.

“To clarify some of the things I’m seeing being questioned, this is in reference to changing stations in single person bathrooms & in handicapped stalls, yes this is VERY REAL.”

How does Wayman know? The mom admitted her knowledge from first-hand experience.

“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.”

Wayman explained to The Daily Mail exactly how a changing table that has drug residue on it could put a baby at risk. "All it would take is flakes getting stuck to a blanket, and the baby later putting the blanket in their mouth," Wayman said.

"Especially with all the Fentanyl out there right now, it takes a tiny amount to kill a full grown adult, it would take even less to kill a tiny baby."