Study Finds ATMs Are Dirtier Than Public Toilets

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 13, 2011 @04:34AM from the customers-must-wash-their-hands dept.

You might want to wear gloves the next time you use an ATM according to a new study. Swabs of public banking machines found bacteria levels at least equal to those found in public restrooms. From the article: "'We were surprised by our results because the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria; to the same level as nearby public lavatories,' Richard Hastings, a microbiologist for BioCote, which sponsored the study, told the Telegraph newspaper. 'In addition, the bacteria we detected on ATMs were similar to those from the toilet, which are well-known as causes of common human illnesses.'"

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Surprise? by ByteSlicer · 2011-01-13 06:09 · Score: 2

We were surprised by our results because the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria
How is this surprising? It has been known for years that keyboards/mice are the dirtiest objects you can find in the house/office.
And these are basically the public variant of that, used by all, and cleaned by none...