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Germaphobes, beware.
When you think of dirty surfaces, public toilet seats are certainly up there in terms of gross factor. A survey of 3,000 adults showed that people are equally afraid of the health risks of touching a pay phone receiver. But it looks like there’s another dirty device lurking in plain sight — the ATM.
(See the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2010.)
In a recent study, researchers took swabs from various ATMs and public toilets around England, then compared the samples under a microscope. They found that bacteria that can cause diarrhea and other sicknesses were found not only on the toilets, but also on the ATMs — and in nearly equal amounts.
(See the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2010.)
The study was conducted by BioCote, which produces antibacterial coatings, so NewsFeed sniffs a conflict of interest. Still, it’s one more thing that will keep NewsFeed’s bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready. (via Telegraph)