1/10银行卡携带粪便污染物比钞票还脏

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

中国日报网 2012-10-17 08:42

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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.)

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(Agencies)

下次你把自己的提款卡拿出来时，也许你会想用它去买些洗手液。

一项研究发现，近十分之一的银行卡都携带粪便物质。现金还稍微好点，七分之一的钞票上所含的大量细菌相当于肮脏的抽水马桶的细菌含量。

伦敦大学玛丽皇后学院与伦敦卫生学和热带医学院开展的这一研究显示，我们的手比我们想的还要脏。

研究人员对人的手进行取样，在超过四分之一（26%）的小样上发现了粪便污染物的痕迹，其中包括大肠杆菌这样的细菌。

我们还可能因此而染上病。对272名参与者的进一步调查揭示，只有39%的人在吃饭前洗手。

此外，绝大多数（91%）的被调查者称自己在上完厕所后会洗手，然而研究人员称，银行卡和钞票上携带的粪便污染物含量反映出的却不是这么一回事。

用肥皂洗手可以将腹泻感染几率降低42%以上，但只有69%的人报告说自己只要可能都会用肥皂洗手。

玛丽皇后学院带头开展这一研究的罗恩•卡特勒博士说：“我们的分析揭示，每天接触银行卡和钞票之时，我们都在和数种潜在病原体打交道，包括大肠杆菌和葡萄球菌这样的粪便污染物。