More germs

“Keyboards are a lunch counter for germs. We turn them over in a lot of studies and we are amazed at what comes out of a keyboard.”-Charles Gerba

Have you every heard the expression “filthy lucre” used to describe money. It’s truer than you think. Scientists in Geneva found that a strain of H1N1—i.e. swine flu—can live on paper money for up to 3 days. This is why I’m dismayed when I see a cook at a deli or food cart handling the money and working with food with the same hands.

The idea of dirty money is not new. I recall a story years ago about bills in California testing positive for drugs. In the 1982 novel, The White Plague, by Frank Herbert, contaminated money is used to spread a virus created by a crazed biochemist.

But there’s more to be wary of than dollar bills. ConsumerReports.org lists 7 things dirtier than money.

1. Doctors’ neck ties (Does he ever wash his ties? I don’t.)
2. The office candy bowl (or bowls of bar snacks)
3. Library books and keyboards (do you lick your fingers when turning the pages?)
4. Bathroom door handles (did the person before you wash his/her hands?)
5. Public Telephone receivers
6. Grandchildren (Kids in the 4-to-12-age range are a notorious reservoir for germs)
7. Shared seats like the movies, theater, opera, train or bus

Bottom Line

When mom told you to wash your hands before eating, she was right. Our hands are often less clean then we know. Check out my blog Germ Theory & Dr. Lister for a history of germs and hand washing.