ATMs are covered in germs
ATM touch pads are covered in germs, but you're more likely to be exposed to someone's dinner than a disease. Researchers analyzed 66 ATM machines in New York City and found most microbes cam from human skin, food and household surfaces. Neighborhood ATMs were most likely to have traces of chicken or fish, suggesting that DNA from a meal may linger on a person's hands. And while machines inside laundromats and stores were especially germy, most microbes were from lactic acid, which is a component of milk.
ATM touch pads are covered in germs, but you're more likely to be exposed to someone's dinner than a disease. Researchers analyzed 66 ATM machines in New York City and found most microbes cam from human skin, food and household surfaces. Neighborhood ATMs were most likely to have traces of chicken or fish, suggesting that DNA from a meal may linger on a person's hands. And while machines inside laundromats and stores were especially germy, most microbes were from lactic acid, which is a component of milk.