Money go-round, beware the dirty notes and coins

Do you know how dirty your money is? Next time you are sick, it might be 'money poisoning'. PHOTO|FILE

What you need to know:

Here is case scenario. Have you ever visited a restaurant, and then had an upset stomach in the coming days? What would be your first reaction? I am sure that many would doubt the quality of the food they consumed that day.

The phrase ‘dirty money’ may have different meaning among different people. Many will say it’s the money earned by dishonest or illegal means. As far as health is concerned, there is another definition.

Here is case scenario. Have you ever visited a restaurant, and then had an upset stomach in the coming days? What would be your first reaction? I am sure that many would doubt the quality of the food they consumed that day.

Is it always food poisoning? No, it’s not. There are other reasons why you had an upset stomach. One of them being the money you exchanged. Other little things among that list include your phone, keyboard, door handles and remotes. So the next time you call-in for sick, think about “money poisoning” rather than “food poisoning”.

A local food vendor comes in contact with so many customers per day, everyone exchanging money with him. One may have a cold and the other might have forgot to wash their hands after releaving themselves.

Imagine giving the food vendor money which is contaminated already, and then they keep the money in their pocket. They will probably be under the hot sun the whole day, sweating heavily. If you receive the change later in the day, they will be notes once held by unlcean hands.

Do you see how the unseen is always travelling with us through money? Have you ever thought about what else you are getting back along with your change when you’re doing your shopping? I’m sure most of us are more concerned about getting the correct change rather than what microbes come for free with our change.

For the few who have thought about what else they may be getting, I suspect that even fewer would answer: “pathogenic and sometimes multidrug - resistant bacteria, fungi and human parasites.”

We shouldn’t be surprised that bank notes and coins are contaminated with various bacteria. After all, they aren’t sterilised. Our own hands are colonised with millions of bacteria and money is the most frequently passed item in the world.

The level of contamination and type or organisms on the money vary depending on the country, season, environmental conditions, type of money (paper vs. coins), the type of material the money is made from, local community flora, the general hygiene level of the population and who is likely to handle the money.

Also “dirty money” has been shown to be significantly more contaminated than clean and mint condition currency notes, and low denomination notes are more likely to be contaminated than higher denomination notes (probably reflecting frequency of use and socio-economic factors). All studies that I have come across investigating bacterial contamination on money (paper notes or coins) have found a significant proportion to be contaminated.

I suspect that the microbiological techniques used in the various studies impacted on the results and my personal view is that the majority--if not all money-- commonly exchanged between people will be contaminated, especially the lower denominations, that is the Sh2,000 note and below.

It is expected that bacteria will be found on bank notes and coins regardless of which country the money is from. Studies from Mexico, US, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya, Burma, China and Turkey to name but a few have all found significant contamination on their money. The type or bacteria found on money includes variety of bacteria which include the common E.coli and S.aureus that cause upset stomach and skin infections respectively.

It is clear that some of these bacteria are common environmental bacteria considered non-pathogenic. However, many are either potentially pathogenic or common human pathogens. For example, K.pneumoniae is a virulent organism and may cause both community and hospital-acquired infections.

Even those organisms not commonly associated with disease in healthy hosts can cause clinically significant infections in immuno-compromised and hospitalised patients.

The story doesn’t end there since a number of studies have found multidrug-resistant and virulent strains on money.

These have the potential to cause serious infections that are hard to treat, to disseminate in healthcare and community settings, and to spread antimicrobial resistant determinants to other bacteria.

Bacteria are not the only organisms found on money. A number of studies show that fungal contamination of money is also common. Some of these are potentially pathogenic to humans and other life forms including plants.

This may have implications far beyond human health to economic consequences if non-native pathogenic species are introduced into different countries via money carried during travel, especially for currencies like the dollar and pound.

While there’s no need for an individual person to worry too much about the contents of their wallet, the unsanitary nature of cash is a valid concern for companies and organisations, especially those where cleanliness is important.

The food service industry has always tried to ensure that workers don’t handle food after handling money, but guaranteeing that every employee follows company policies at all times is next to impossible. Some restaurants are starting to eliminate cash altogether, streamlining their payment processes while also eliminating any concern about “dirty money.”

The biggest concern is for organisations where cleanliness is an absolute necessity, such as laboratories, hospitals and other healthcare organisations, and pharmaceutical companies. In these locations, introducing something like S.aureus by handling cash would be a disaster.

It’s impossible to avoid touching money and the bacteria they contain, but we can take precautions and wash our hands well after handling money, before eating, or before touching other parts of our body, and before holding babies. Or consider using hand sanitisers or switching to card-less payments. These simple practices can help avoid health problems.