Typically, hospitals are supposed to be well-sanitized; after all, sick people need to have sterile spaces to be treated and recover. Unfortunately, in a building where hundreds of people pass through on a regular basis, maintaining that cleanliness isn’t easy, and if you look hard enough, you’re bound to find someone troubling or gross, even. That said, one man walking through the Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, noticed something very concerning forming on a public drinking fountain: “mold.” Black-colored mold, to be exact, is what the man believed was growing on the faucet where water came out.
He first posted a photo of the water fountain to r/MoldlyInteresting, asking for someone to identify the mysterious black crystallizing substance. One person said it could be moss, while another was confident it was black mold. With no clear answer, OP then posted the picture to r/Weird, where plenty of people gave their thoughts on what it could be.
Some Redditors Believe the Drinking Fountain ‘Mold’ Could Be Iron
“Looks like corroded metal. Maybe old lead pipes?” questioned a commenter. “If this isn’t mold, it’s probably Iron (III),” remarks a second user. “Looks more like magnetized iron,” a third person agreed. While a sizeable handful of people believe it to be rust or iron, many others are certain it’s mold. Either way, the fact that the hospital’s staff let that form or grow on the drinking fountain is rather concerning.
“At least you dont have to go that far after drinking from it,” laughed a commenter, implying you’d get sick after taking a sip. “Might want to rethink getting any kind of treatment at the medical facility where the drinking fountains look like this,” warned another.
Hospital or school drinking fountains aren’t the only place where mold can grow. People have found mold growing in the ice dispensers of fountain drink machines, like those at convenience stores or fast-food stops. The inside of one’s water bottle is also a great, moist place for mold to grow, Yale News reports. Even if the black spiky substance forming on the Eisenhower Army Medical Center’s water fountain wasn’t mold, chances are it could contain it and should be cleaned ASAP.
