Can you get tetanus from metal that is not rust?

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asked Mar 15, 2019 in Diseases Conditions by derrickht2 (440 points)
Can you get tetanus from metal that is not rust?

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answered Mar 15, 2019 by LindaHartzell (26,630 points)
Yes you can actually get tetanus from being cut from metal that is not even rusty.

Tetanus infections actually come from bacteria that could be on the metal you're cut with.

The rust is not what actually causes tetanus although that's what most people think it's instead the bacteria that could be on the metal after it comes into contact with soil which in most cases metal will come into contact with soil at some point.

The iron ore came from the soil too but the heating of it to melt it and make it into the metal product should've killed the bacteria.

But metal is moved around and gets sat on the ground so the bacteria could have gotten on the metal that way.

So if you've been cut with metal and haven't had a tetanus shot within 10 years then you should get a tetanus shot soon because tetanus can be deadly.

Tetanus shots last for 10 years so if you've already had a tetanus shot and it hasn't been 10 years yet since your last tetanus shot then you don't need another tetanus shot until 10 years have passed.

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