this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2023
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How many licks would it take? Can the iron in bars even be processed by the body? Can you do this for other minerals?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

~~It's also because the bacterium in question is anaerobic, so it dies in an oxygen environment; rusting consumes oxygen, so it helps preserve the bacterium longer out of soil.~~

Edit: I had always been told this, but evidently it isn't true. The rust does not seem to have any effect on the bacterium that causes tetanus. Apologies for spreading misinformation.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'd be quite surprised if rusting could consume oxygen fast enough to make a difference there?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, this is a strange mix of information being conveyed. Tetanus is indeed caused by an anaerobe, and it's caused by a puncturing wound. The depth of the wound is what causes the oxygen-free environment. The correlation with iron, from my understanding, is solely because a nail can easily cause such a puncture. A nail stepped on in the general environment can easily innoculate the wound with with the relatively common Clostridium tetani bacteria, which causes tetanus. I don't think rust is a factor, though I've been wrong before.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Yeah, you're right. This is something I was taught at one point, and I guess I never questioned it because it sounded plausible. Sorry! I have updated my comment to reflect this.