We already know that public restrooms can be incredibly dirty, that we need to be mindful when using them, and that we absolutely have to wash our hands before exiting the restroom.
But having to be worried about the safety of the toilet paper in public restrooms was not on our radar.
TikToker and Doctor @drjoe_md shared a video of a dad with his two young children in a public restroom, warning viewers who utilize public restrooms or sometimes depend on them when their children suddenly need to use the facilities.
He pointed out that it's important to check the side of the rolls of the toilet paper in the restroom for visible puncture marks, as individuals either with a drug addiction or other medical need might have used the toilet paper roll to clean their needle before exiting the stall.
Doctor @drjoe_md stated that this is a factual occurrence and a concern that people should have when using public restrooms.
His advice is to carry flushable wipes to use instead of the toilet paper, or to thoroughly inspect the toilet paper roll before tearing off a few squares to use.
Unfortunately if the toilet paper roll is completely encased by the dispenser, his only advice is to "pray" if using the paper, since there is no way to check it before tearing paper off of the roll if the dispenser is unable to be opened.
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers were horrified by the new information.
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
@drjoe_md/TikTok
The video also became popular on Twitter (X), where people were more reluctant to accept the information at face value.
Some pointed out that if the toilet paper was in a locked dispenser, people were less likely to tamper with it, instead of inspiring a need to fear and "pray."
Others who claimed to have some experience pointed out that using the toilet paper roll to clean needles seemed unlikely and was not as scary of a possibility as the video made it out to be.
None of us needs yet another thing to worry about when we exit the house, but at least according to X there's less to worry about than the video might let on.
But still, it might not hurt to check the toilet paper roll going forward, just to be safe.
