White Powder

[KittyGlitter]

I've noticed that when I walk around the city, I can see small piles of white powder on the pavement next to lamp posts or smaller posts (ones used to prevent cars). Has anyone else seen this in towns, if so please tell me what it is. I'm assuming that its not coke!

[greenday]

KittGlitter, how fine is the powder? It's not just salt residues out of rain water is it? You sometimes see this sort of thing after the gritters have been out during snowfall, so salt is my best guess. I would doubt if it's coke!

[Miss Zippy]

We've noticed this a lot recently when taking walks in areas popular with dog walkers and wondered if it's anything dog walkers put down after scooping up a poop??

[KittyGlitter]

It's definately not salt - looks more like flour! Wierd huh?

[FP]

Dried Urine?

I've noticed that the underneath of a rubber backed doormat I have in the house (and which the cat pees on occasionally if he can't get out) gets this white powder on it where he has weed.  This is only if it allowed to dry out, i.e. when I haven't noticed it.  It definitely smells of pee - but I don't suggest you smell under the lamp posts. 

 

PS  I do wash the doormat in the washine machine when he does this!

[FP]

Also, the litter trays get a limescale time residue on that builds up after a time.

[FP]

Just thought, reading Donaldon's answer.  The build up in the litter trays is more likely to be salt, as presumably urine is salty.

[KittyGlitter]

LOL Fakeplastic, just picturing myself on my hands and knees having a sniff under lamposts. People might think I'm a dog. No, its not a dried substance. It looks like someone has deliberately put down piles of flour type powder. I first noticed this about a year ago and I once saw a tramp point at some and mumble at me that he found some coke! Someone told me that it could be trail used as markers for runners doing a race, but I'm not sure.

[l_h_kings]

Hi Kitty,

I think it might be very old dried dog poo.

It can go white due to the high chalk contents in some cheaper dog foods (like the one my dogs have - gives them wind too though).  That would explain why you see it near lamp posts.

Although, just to be sure I think you should go with fakeplastic's "sniffing" Idea.

Helena

[FP]

Yes Helena, I think you are right.  My dogs' poo sometimes goes white and chalky if left.  This thread is becoming a bit yukky!  If anyone sees a young lady out smelling under lamp posts tomorrow, we will all know who it is!

[KittyGlitter]

Not old dog poop either, its definately a fresh chalky, flour-type substance. Hope its not anthrax! Perhaps I should taste it by dabbing it on my tongue a la cop movies ;-)

[FP]

Perhaps it is a dog deterrent! 

[clarabel82]

it's not ant powder is it?

[jakesi]

Check above the powder and make sure nothing has been drilled, like a sign or something, because you always leave a pile of dust after drilling brick,plaster etc etc. I know lamposts are cast iron but its just a guess.

[klinedancer]

could be weedkiller, sprayed by local council.

[FP]

Itching powder!

Or a powdery form of something like Jeyes fluid to disinfect round the bottom of lamposts.  I am not going to be happy now until I find out the real answer!

[KittyGlitter]

I thought it could be weedkiller but I've seen it on pavements without any cracks and the powder is always in a heap, not spread about.Have you seen this too Fakeplastic? I looked it up on the council website to see if this is common practice but found nothing. I've even googled white powder and the only thing I got back was anthrax! This must be a conspiracy. Maybe I should set up CCTV cameras to catch the white powder man in action.

[Susan123]

Haven't been on this site for ages.

The white powder may be from a crowd calling themselves the Hash House Harriers - formed years ago by an ex pat in Malaysia to get people together to run and have a bit of fun.  Basically there is a group of people of various degrees of fitness, the good ones will go ahead and drop flour along the way to signal the correct route - if there are 3 mounds of flour, you are on the right track, but if there are only 2 or less, you have to go back and find the correct way.  It's a good way to keep the group together, it's good fun (I was a member of the HHH in Rome, and it was sometimes called a group of runners with a drinking problem or a group of drinkers with a running problem)  Alot of beer was consumed (if you wanted to) but it was a great way to socialise, get fit (if you run enough) and have a laugh aswell.  Do a search on Hash House Harriers, there are loads of clubs around the place...  On on.

[KittyGlitter]

You are right Susan123. I emailed the council and they said that its students playing a similar game to PaperChase but with Powder. The Powder is not harmful at all it is chalk dust used for use on pavements.

[FP]

Mystery solved Kitty Glitter!  I think itching powder would be a good idea, he, he!

[KittyGlitter]

Result eh?! We can sleep at night now. The guy at the council said that they get loads of queries about it, and there was me thinking I was the only one staring too long at the ground to notice it ;o)