Currency notes we handle every day may be more dangerous than we think, as health experts warn that paper money can act as a home for disease-causing bacteria and other microbes. Passing through countless hands, notes made from cotton fibres can collect moisture, sweat, food residue and dirt—conditions that help germs survive for long periods—while even coins are not completely safe, with microbes capable of clinging to metal surfaces for hours or days. Studies cited in reports show that around 13% of coins and 42% of paper currency samples carried harmful organisms, including antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and some overseas research has also detected yeast, fungi and even traces of drugs such as cocaine and heroin on circulating money. Researchers note that a single square centimetre of a note may host multiple microorganisms, and the risk increases as currency is exchanged dozens of times a day without being cleaned—often while people cough into their hands, handle food, visit hospitals or use public restrooms—making exposure potentially more serious for those with weaker immunity, such as the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic illness.
