Should you use the restroom at Walmart?

A Walmart employee has an urgent PSA for any customer who uses public restrooms.

Walmart employee Devan (@601devan)’s TikTok has received over 190,000 views.

To begin his video, Devan is sitting in his car in his Walmart uniform. It looks like he just finished his shift. He adds a caption to the screen that says his message is a “public service announcement to everyone.”

It’s aimed at “everyone” because most people have probably used a public restroom before.

“If you’re using a public restroom, stop what you’re doing and listen to this,” Devan says.

He notes that his message will be most helpful to people who use women’s restrooms. “You will see why,” he adds.

Devan tells viewers that if they plan to use a public facility’s restroom, they should first check inside the toilet paper dispenser. “That’s why,” he said.

In his video, Devan inserts a photo he took of a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom at Walmart. He points to the photo above him on the screen and says, “This is exactly what I’m talking about.” »

The PSA

The toilet paper roll appears to have tiny red blood-like spots all around the middle of the roll. “It comes from people who are addicted to using syringes,” he says.

Devan says these red spots appear when people stick their needles inside the fabric to clean them.

“Not everyone will have little bloodstains on them,” he adds. “But if you look in the toilet paper, there shouldn’t be any pinholes or anything like that.”

If someone cleans their needle on toilet paper and there’s blood on it, Devan says you’ll be able to tell right away.

Then he zooms in on the image on his screen and points out that “this is what you need to look for.”

Devan mentions that he’s only seen this happen in person about once or twice. In 2019, it was reported that a Walmart shopper found “red marks everywhere” on a toilet paper roll in the bathroom.

“Check your toilet paper before you sit down and go to the bathroom,” he says. “Or just bring wipes or your own.”

@601.devan Everyone needs to be aware of this‼️ #fyp #foryourpage #foryou #xyzcba ♬ original sound – Devan

The Daily Dot requested comment from Devan via the TikTok comments section and direct message. We also contacted Walmart via the media contact form.

“Thanks for the advice!!” » said one viewer. “How simple things like toilet paper can be dangerous. »

“I would never have thought of that!” Thanks so much for the heads up,” said another.

What the experts say

The CDC states that the consequences of a blood-borne infection, especially in a person who injects drugs, can include “viral hepatitis, HIV, and bacterial and fungal infections.”

Likewise, according to the New York PostIf you use toilet paper to clean yourself, “it only takes a small drop of blood to enter your body” to put you at risk of infection with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B or C.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds that drug-related infections can survive in a single drop of blood “for weeks and still be capable of causing infection.”

If you find small marks on toilet paper in public restrooms, it is best to go out and alert someone as quickly as possible.

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