1/10銀行卡攜帶糞便污染物比鈔票還臟

Now wash your hands: They are much dirtier than you think

中國日報網 2012-10-17 08:42

Only 39 percent of participants said they washed their hands before eating

Next time you get your debit card out, you might want to use it to buy some hand wash.

A study has found that nearly one in 10 bank cards contains faecal matter. Cash is little better with one in seven bank notes containing high levels of bacteria similar to that found in a dirty toilet bowl.

The research, carried out at Queen Mary, University of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, showed our hands are therefore dirtier than we might think.

More than a quarter (26 percent) of hands sampled showed traces of faecal contamination including bacteria such as E.coli, the study found.

And we may be making ourselves ill as a result. A further survey of the 272 participants revealed only 39 percent washed their hands before eating.

The vast majority (91 percent) of respondents also stated that they washed their hands after using the toilet, although the levels of faecal organisms contaminating the cards and currency suggested otherwise, researchers said.

Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrhoeal infections by up to 42 percent but only 69 percent of people reported doing this whenever possible.

Dr Ron Cutler, who led the research at Queen Mary, said: 'Our analysis revealed that by handling cards and money each day we are coming into contact with some potential pathogens revealing faecal contamination including E. coli and Staphylococci.

'People may tell us they wash their hands but the research shows us different, and highlights just how easily transferable these pathogens are, surviving on our money and cards.'

Dr Val Curtis, from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'Our research shows just how important handwashing is - the surprising levels of contamination that we found on everyday objects is a sign that people are forgetting to wash their hands after the toilet, one of the key moments for infection prevention.'

Nick Wilcher, marketing manager of Radox, who funded the study to raise awareness of Global Handwashing Day, said: 'Our research highlights just how much bacteria we are exposed to in our everyday lives, on objects such as money and cards.

'We hope this study makes people think twice and encourages people to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating.'

(Read by CJ Henderson. CJ Henderson is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

點擊查看更多雙語新聞

(Agencies)

下次你把自己的提款卡拿出來時，也許你會想用它去買些洗手液。

一項研究發現，近十分之一的銀行卡都攜帶糞便物質。現金還稍微好點，七分之一的鈔票上所含的大量細菌相當于骯臟的抽水馬桶的細菌含量。

倫敦大學瑪麗皇后學院與倫敦衛生學和熱帶醫學院開展的這一研究顯示，我們的手比我們想的還要臟。

研究人員對人的手進行取樣，在超過四分之一（26%）的小樣上發現了糞便污染物的痕跡，其中包括大腸桿菌這樣的細菌。

我們還可能因此而染上病。對272名參與者的進一步調查揭示，只有39%的人在吃飯前洗手。

此外，絕大多數（91%）的被調查者稱自己在上完廁所后會洗手，然而研究人員稱，銀行卡和鈔票上攜帶的糞便污染物含量反映出的卻不是這么一回事。

用肥皂洗手可以將腹瀉感染幾率降低42%以上，但只有69%的人報告說自己只要可能都會用肥皂洗手。

瑪麗皇后學院帶頭開展這一研究的羅恩?卡特勒博士說：“我們的分析揭示，每天接觸銀行卡和鈔票之時，我們都在和數種潛在病原體打交道，包括大腸桿菌和葡萄球菌這樣的糞便污染物。