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Notes, coins contain E.coil, fecal coliform

KU researcher finds health risk of handling taka


Bangladeshpost
Published : 05 Oct 2019 06:41 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 09:18 PM

Sajida Ferdous

People of all classes exchange money everyday. However the papers money and coins are very dangerous for human body because they contain two harmful bacteria called E-coli and fecal coliform.

Researchers say that the two bacteria are spreading in the same way as papers money and coins are transmitted from one hand to the others in a hurry.

Nishat Tasnim, a student of Environment discipline of Khula University (KU), has researched with papers money and coins for around six months.

According to her study, all the types of notes and coins collected from 15 sources of Khulna city contain the presence of harmful high levels bacteria called E coli and fecal coliform. Among them, the samples collected from the fish shop contain  2,600 E. coli as well as 2130 E.coli in the meat store, 2480 E.coli in the chicken store and 700 E. coli are found in the fruit store.

there are 2800 fecal coliform were found in fish shops as well as  2600 in meat stores, 2900 in chicken shops and 2260 in fruit shops.

Tasnim said, "In these places the sellers use their hands for cleaning fish, meat and chicken but they exchange money with the buyer by their hands without washing them".

“We are trying to find out how safe it is that we spend money with each other every day. But to do it, we found the existence of harmful E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria in old notes and coins,” she said.

Dr. Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, Professor of Environmental Science Discipline of KU, said, “Our daily life is inconceivable without money. But the money causes  serious harm to us because many people take their meal without washing hands after exchanging money.”

Dr. SM Kamal, head of medicine department of Khulna Medical College and Hospital, said, “There are different types of bacteria and organisms in the money. Sometimes the money falls into the ground, into the dirt or into the drain. But the person use the money again after drying it.”

“The bacteria which is existed in the papers money and coins found by the research of KU are also existed in stool. The bacteria causes various diseases including urine infection  if they reach in the stomach of human body.There is no alternative to awareness if you want to be free from this peril,”  he added.