Dirty Money

No, I'm not talking about the Republican National Committee's warchest. Actually, it's the stuff in your wallet that's nasty. It's not just cocaine on your bills and coins!

It turns out, money really is dirty, and not just with drug traces. One past
study revealed 94 percent of $1 bills collected from a community in western Ohio
contained disease-causing or potentially disease-causing bacteria. The study,
published in 2002 in the Southern Medical Journal, was led by Peter Ender, chief
of infectious diseases at Wright-Patterson Medical Center in Ohio.
That's not too surprising, as $1 bills stay in circulation for an average of 21 months,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, during which time they
get handled by plenty of people. For larger bills, the life span is even longer,
with $20 bills lasting about 24 months and $50 bills staying in circulation for
55 months.

Ewww! Guess this is why I always wash my hands in the time between buying and eating lunch... Who knows where that $5 bill's been?!?