March 28, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — You may want to wash your hands every time you pay with cash. A team of scientists at Oxford University found an average banknote contains 26,000 bacteria.
Those are enough germs to make you feel nauseous, and possibly even spread disease. Even the newest –and therefore cleanest –notes tested contained 24,000 bacteria.
Experts say to prevent infection, people should keep their hands away from their eyes, nose, and mouth and wash their hands often.
I – Word Understanding
Banknote – paper money; bill
Nauseous – feeling like you are about to throw up or vomit
Cold hard cash (idiom) – coins and bills
II – Have your say
1.On average, the flu virus can survive outside of the body for about 48 hours….it can live on a dollar bill for over 10 days.
2.Sweden could be the first country to go cashless, with its coins and bills only 3% of its economy.
3.Throughout history, all kinds of things have been used as money. Precious metals have kept their popularity since they’re easy to handle (unlike camels) and keep their value.
