Dirty Money

          An article by Robert Lee Hotz, published in the Wall Street Journal on April 18, 2014 gives new meaning to the old expression, ‘filthy lucre’, which was originally meant to describe money obtained dishonestly.  In this case the dirty money refers to the ubiquitous one dollar bill that each of us handles every day.  By studying the DNA found on dollar bills, researchers at New York University discovered more than 3,000 types of bacteria on the surface of paper money.  Some of the more common types of bacteria found on the bills were the same ones associated with acne, pneumonia, food poisoning, stomach ulcers and staph infections.

Wash Your Hands

          The article went on to explain that the average life span of a one dollar bill is 21 months of circulation.  During that time, skin residue and oils deposited on the paper currency by human hands actually serve as nutrients for microbes.  When the dollar bill is placed in the warm environment of a wallet in someone’s rear pocket, you have a perfect incubator for the growth of microbes.  Paper currency is just one example of an inanimate object or ‘fomite’ that can transmit infectious disease.  So, take a lesson from doctors, nurses and other health professionals and make it a habit to wash your hands frequently throughout the day, keeping in mind that even inanimate objects can harbor infectious agents.

* The word lucrative, meaning producing a great deal of profit, is derived from the same Latin root word, lucrum, meaning money, gain or profit.