Cash is besides often streaked with drugs. In a study of 10 one-dollar bills from cities across the area, closely 80 % of them had traces of cocaine. All of that may sound unsavory, but it ’ south barely storm, given how cash gets about. Bills get traded constantly, and depending on the appellation, they can stay in circulation for five to 15 years. “ A lot of people aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate washing their hands, and they ’ re at a restaurant and money is going back and forth, ” says Susan Whittier, a microbiologist at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center. “ You don ’ metric ton know who ’ s touched it. ” other research has shown that some deposit notes and coins contain pathogens like Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), salmonella and staphylococcus aureus, which can lead to good illness. MORE : Your Cell Phone Is 10 Times Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat. here ’ s What to Do About It The presence of these microbes won ’ thyroxine necessarily make you disgusted, however. “ Certain subtypes of organisms are better or worse at infecting people, ” says Emily Martin, adjunct professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “ Organisms besides grow better in certain specific environments. Just being on a surface doesn ’ thymine give it everything it needs. ” U.S. currency is a pretty lavish place for germs to land. It ’ s 75 % cotton and 25 % linen, which offers a soft environment into which microbes can settle. Yet cash doesn ’ triiodothyronine typically have the right temperature or moisture conditions to allow microbes to grow and proliferate. Its porous surface actually helps it hold on to most of the germs it ’ mho carry, so not many microbes wipe off on your hands—meaning money is not very good at transmitting diseases.
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evening if some microbes do come off on your hands, they ’ re unlikely to hurt you there, explains Martin. “ You don ’ thymine want to introduce bacteria into areas of the body that have less protective covering, ” she says, “ but our hide is a truly good protector. ” ( Just don ’ t lick your money, she advises. ) Some research has shown that plastic polymer bank notes, like those used in Australia and Canada, are cleaner than american bills. Scientists have besides explored ways to clean currency using carbon paper dioxide and eminent temperatures to kill microbes, but experts say it ’ s by and large not worth it for you to worry about personally cleaning your cash. “ Be mindful that every open you touch has stuff on it : money, the metro perch, the ATM, ” Whittier says. “ You just have to wash your hands a couple times a day. ” Write to Abigail Abrams at abigail.abrams @ time.com. contribution THIS STORY
