The Correlation between Rust and Tetanus

A potentially lethal medical condition, tetanus (Clostridium Tetani) lies in wait in non-other than ordinary soil. The correlation between rust and tetanus is actually attributed to the ability of this soil to be trapped in the porous surface of the rust. This is why many times people will talk about stepping on a rusty nail, it is not actually the rust that causes the issue but the bacterial trapped on the surface. Clostridium Tatani is dormant when exposed to oxygen and does not become active until it enters the body. Once in the body it rapidly begins producing a neurotoxin called tetanospasm.

This neurotoxin (a substance that is damaging or poisonous to nerve tissue) is the cause of the symptoms that come with Tetanus, including: muscle spasms (which is where the term Lockjaw comes from), difficulty swallowing, and fever. While there is a very real risk of tetanus, the fear associated with cuts from rusty metal is often exaggerated. Cases of tetanus are extremely rare, with .15 cases in 1,000,000 people living in the U.S.A. Part of the reason that it is so rare in the states is the immunization that is readily available. However keep in mind that if you have not received the vaccination it very important to be careful, especially where the elderly, or infants are concerned. Tetanus can be found on any object that has come in contact with contaminated soil. This includes but is not limited to; metal objects (even if it is not rusty), plastic items, glass, almost anything that has come in contact with the soil can be a source of Clostridium tetani. That is the real correlation to be made, rust doesn’t cause tetanus, and it only offers a viable median to transmit the bacterium that causes the illness.