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When children who wear diapers have to be changed and aren't at home, parents or caretakers will often find a changing station at a public restroom and unsuspectingly switch out their kids' diapers on it, not knowing that the foldable station might have also been used for something very unsanitary.
One mom in Indiana is bringing awareness about the issue, penning a post on Facebook that is going viral. In it, 24-year-old Jessica Wayman included a photograph of a changing station that has some black scuff marks on it. While most parents might not give it a second glance, according to Jessica, "it could mean the difference between life or death." That's because the scuffs are actually burn marks caused by the spoons that addicts use to heat up drugs.
Jessica explained, "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, "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."
So how could she even know about this? It turns out the young mother is a recovering addict herself. She revealed that is why she wrote the post, to "warn all the unsuspecting parents who would never think something like this when looking at a changing table."
Wayman urged parents, "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."