Dirty money, we all know what this refers to- money used in drug deals, money stolen
from banks, any currency used in the facilitation of a crime.
Yet as the staff of The Infographics Show recently found out- much to their horror-
it turns out money really is just plain dirty - as in full of very disgusting things.
We'll warn you, this episode is going to be very informative, but you have to ask yourself
if ignorance isn't bliss regarding exactly what horrifying and disgusting things are
lurking in your wallet right now.
We bet, or at least we sincerely hope, that you wash your hands before you eat when you've
spent all day on public transportation.
After all, there's dozens of dirty, stinking peasants on their way to potato farms or whatever,
all rubbing their grubby little hands on every square inch of a bus, subway, or airplane,
so you probably do like most people and practice good hygiene before you chomp down on a sandwich.
But ask yourself, how many times have you washed your hands after paying for your food
with cash?
Cash may be the most handled product in our modern world, with coins lasting up to 50
years in circulation and bills lasting between five and fifteen years.
That's a whole lot of time for all kinds of microorganisms and filth to hitch a ride on
our favorite way of paying for things.
The good news is that some currency, such as coins made of copper, can actually inhibit
microorganism growth, but the bad news is that 'paper' currency is pretty much the perfect
place for germs to live- and no currency is more perfect than the American dollar bill.
Not only is it the currency in greatest circulation around the world, meaning that the sweet Franklin
in your pocket right now has probably been fingered by people internationally, but it
is also pretty much perfect at picking up germs and keeping them.
Nations such as Australia and Canada have switched to plastic polymer currency, which
is more durable, harder to duplicate, and better at keeping germs at bay.
American money however is made out of a blend of linen and cotton, which technically makes
it cloth and not paper at all.
While this makes dollars extremely durable, standing up to rain, tearing and folding,
the extremely porous surface of a linen/cotton blend dollar makes it incredibly efficient
at picking up bacteria and viruses.
The one silver lining though is that while American money may pick up more germs than
other nations, the porous nature of the dollar actually makes it harder for germs to become
dislodged and contaminate your hand- although by no means is this impossible.
So just how filthy is your money?
Go ahead and start panicking now, because it's bad.
Like, really bad.
Everyone's heard the rumor that most dollars are contaminated with cocaine, and that's
not necessarily untrue, but it is a faulty assumption.
The cocaine myth can be traced back to a study conducted on ten dollar bills taken from several
cities across the nation, which found that 8 out of 10 bills had at least a few nanograms
of cocaine.
This is an incredibly small sample size though, and hardly evidence that all currency is coated
in nose candy.
More importantly, the contamination likely comes from contact with other contaminated
bills or money counting machines, so the actual exposure of dollars to cocaine is likely quite
low.
Still, there's a good chance that the money in your pocket is at least partially contaminated
with cocaine.
And if that's all it's contaminated with then count yourself lucky, because this list gets
much worse.
Bodily fluids are also commonly found on currency, and the most pervasive of these is human excrement.
Yep, poop, and it's literally all over your money because it turns out we're pretty bad
at not spreading our poop literally everywhere you go.
Many people don't consider a number two to be a reason to wash their hands, figuring
that the paper they use to wipe is enough to protect them from exposure to their hershey
kisses, yet toilet paper is itself so thin and porous that fudge particles can easily
penetrate and find their way to your hand.
Another major way of spreading butt butter around is when you flush the toilet without
closing the lid first.
The rushing water causes your back-end brownies particles to become attached to aerosolized
water, which in turn spread all over your bathroom.
Including on your toothbrush, which you then put in your mouth.
So, yeah, maybe start closing the seat before you flush.
Then there's just dirty people who may poke, prod, scratch and sniff as they please, and
then go to the store to buy a loaf of bread with a crisp twenty dollar bill, which goes
into the till and is given to you as change when you break a $100 later that day.
Now you've got stranger poo on your bill and on your hands, but if you're lucky that's
the only body waste you've got.
Other human body horrors found on bills include mucus, semen, blood, and vaginal bacteria.
We really are a disgusting species.
But hey, poo in small quantities won't make you sick, sadly there's plenty left on a dollar
bill that will.
Nearly every single bill in circulation contains at least some pathogenic organisms, though
infection is thankfully very rare.
Still, the risk is present and right now your bills could contain one or more of the following
pathogens.
Streptococcus- this is a group of bacteria which if they find their way inside your body
could do some serious damage.
Infection could lead to rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome,
strep throat, necrotizing fasciitis - which is an infection of the skin where the bacteria
eats your flesh -, and bladder and uterus infections.
E. coli- odds are you've probably suffered the effects of E. coli at least once in your
life, it's basically the primary ingredient in fast food meals.
Most is relatively harmless and may cause nothing more than a tummy ache, but some can
be outright deadly and can lead to anemia and kidney failure.
Salmonella- yet another common ailment, salmonella causes food poisoning and is spread by contact
with raw food or poop.
And now you know that it can also come from contact with your money, which is full of
poop.
Staphylococcus Aureus- this bacterium causes staph infections, which can be extremely difficult
to treat thanks to antibiotic resistance.
However, ingestion can also lead to internal infection and to pneumonia, food poisoning,
and blood poisoning.
MRSA- this is an antibiotic resistant version of the staph bacteria mentioned previously,
and is incredibly difficult to treat.
Side effects of infection include sores, boils, or abscesses, and treatment can last for months.
Even more frighteningly, infection can kill in as little as 24 hours in some cases.
Proteus- a bacterium found in animal intestines, this may not kill you but it'll give you a
very painful urinary tract infection.
Anthrax- Most people know this from its use as a deadly bioweapon, but may be surprised
that it occurs naturally- and extremely frequently- in soil on and around farms all over the world.
In its weaponized form Anthrax is spread as an aerosol, and the bacterium is frighteningly
perfect for this role.
It is extremely durable and can survive for years with no moisture, and once infection
sets in death is relatively quick.
While it appears in small enough quantities in currency to not be a public health hazard,
should you handle infected money with an open cut or sore on your hand, you could be in
for a fight for your life.
Turns out our money is absolutely teeming with viruses, bacteria, and all matter of
human waste.
Little surprise then that many people are calling for society to go cashless.
While studies by the US government have not shown a link between our dirty money and disease
outbreak, it certainly couldn't help to limit how much contact you have with money- or at
least to wash your hands after handling it.
Want to learn about more things you shouldn’t touch?
Check out Most Germs Infested Places you touch everyday!
Or check this other video out instead!