I was sanding down some rusted steel CO[sub]2[/sub] tanks today at work, and realized that I had inhaled quite a bit of dust that consisted mainly of rust particles. I haven’t been able to find any information regarding the dangers of this situation, and my tetanus shot is up to date, but how risky is this anyway?
Tetanus is caused by a bacteria that lives in soil and fecal matter. It doesn’t live on rust, and contact with rust won’t cause tetanus (there are other reasons you might not want to inhale rust particles). Also, I don’t believe you can get tetanus from inhalation anyway, but only from contact with an open wound.
Rust has nothing to do with tetanus. The rusty nail stuff started because that is indeed a decent way to innoculate yourself with tetanus spores. Being an anaerobe, a deep puncture wound is the best place for them to grow. Most nails you would step on have been on the ground for awhile and are rusty. Rust itself will not cause tetanus. Inhaling foreign materials is not a good idea however, next time use a mask.
Ahhhh…I have been enlightened.
Case closed. Thanks.
Further, IIRC, tetanus is anaerobic (one reason it shows up in deep punctures). Even if you inhaled the spores, the oxygen in your lungs would kill it once it started to grow.