We can no longer count the number of places or objects that we are reluctant to touch because of germs:subway bars, door handles of public toilets and in general, everything that passes between hundreds of hands per day. According to researchers at New York University, we can also add ATMs to the list. It's true that it's not the first place you think of when you talk about germs and yet... Their keyboards are infested with germs!
To assess how dirty ATMs are, the researchers combed through 66 ATMs in different New York neighborhoods. And they were not disappointed:bacteria from human skin, fungi from the genito-urinary mucosa (beuuuuuurk!), countless parasites increasing the risk of infectious diseases, traces of food... Vending machines are not much better than the metro and public toilets in terms of cleanliness. Jane Carlton, urban microbiology specialist at New York University, is still reassuring and explains that the majority of these bacteria are harmless to our health. Well, we're still going to keep our antibacterial gel nearby the next time we go to the distributor!
