December 12, 2007: 100 Miillion pennies at Rockefeller Center NYC

[ViennaWaits]

I hate how your hands smell after you've been playing with or counting coins. I wonder if anyone's done a study on the diseases you can get from coins? Maybe you have to lick them in that case...

A couple of quarters ago in microbiology, we did a lab on that very thing, placing pennies n' such in the dish.

Don't lick money. Ever. Or your fingers. Or your hair. Or anything else. Promise, it's NASTY.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Kumbulu

I hate how your hands smell after you've been playing with or counting coins. I wonder if anyone's done a study on the diseases you can get from coins? Maybe you have to lick them in that case...

Originally Posted by ViennaWaits

A couple of quarters ago in microbiology, we did a lab on that very thing, placing pennies n' such in the dish.

Don't lick money. Ever. Or your fingers. Or your hair. Or anything else. Promise, it's NASTY.

New scientist has just delivered this timely short piece, edited highlights of which are:

In a recent microbiological investigation of money in the Netherlands it was observed that coins may harbour up to 1000 bacteria, and paper money a few million.

Viruses can survive on banknotes, as scientists in Switzerland recently showed when they dripped flu virus onto notes accompanied by human nasal mucus. The viruses remained viable for up to 17 days.