銀行卡比鈔票髒：10%的銀行卡攜帶糞便污染物！

Next time you get your debit card out, you might want to use it to buy some hand wash.
下次掏出借記卡時，你也許會想用它來買些洗手產品。

A study has found that nearly one in 10 bank cards contains faecal matter. Cash is little better with one in seven bank notes containing high levels of bacteria similar to that found in a dirty toilet bowl.
一項研究發現，將近10%的銀行卡攜帶糞便污物。鈔票的情況也好不到哪兒去，1/7的鈔票細菌含量和很髒的馬桶內細菌含量相當。

The research, carried out at Queen Mary, University of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, showed our hands are therefore dirtier than we might think.
這項由倫敦大學瑪麗皇后學院、倫敦衛生和熱帶醫學院發起的研究表明，由於以上原因，我們的雙手比我們想象的要髒。

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of hands sampled showed traces of faecal contamination including bacteria such as , the study found.
這項研究發現，超過1/4（26%）的手部樣本被測出有糞尿污物，含有細菌如大腸桿菌。

And we may be making ourselves ill as a result. A further survey of the 272 participants revealed only 39 per cent washed their hands before eating.
這可能導致我們患病。一項有272人蔘與的進一步調查表明，只有39%的人在進食前會洗手。

The vast majority (91 per cent) of respondents also stated that they washed their hands after using the toilet, although the levels of faecal organisms contaminating the cards and currency suggested otherwise, researchers said.
研究人員說，大部分（91%）接受調查的對象聲稱他們在上廁所後會洗手。而銀行卡和鈔票上攜帶的大量糞便污染成分卻暗示情況並非如此。

Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrhoeal infections by up to 42 per cent but only 69 per cent of people reported doing this whenever possible.
用肥皂洗手可以使痢疾的致病率下降42%，但根據報告，只有69%的人會堅持這麼做。

Dr Ron Cutler, who led the research at Queen Mary, said: 'Our analysis revealed that by handling cards and money each day we are coming into contact with some potential pathogens revealing faecal contamination including E. coli and Staphylococci.
瑪麗皇后學院研究項目負責人羅恩-卡特勒博士說：“我們的研究發現，在日常使用銀行卡和鈔票的過程中，我們接觸到了一些潛在的致病菌，它們來自含有大腸桿菌和葡萄球菌的糞便污染物。”'People may tell us they wash their hands but the research shows us different, and highlights just how easily transferable these pathogens are, surviving on our money and cards.'
“人們也許說他們會洗手，但研究顯示卻並非如此，這提醒我們，殘留在鈔票和銀行卡上的致病菌是多麼容易傳播。”

Dr Val Curtis, from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'Our research shows just how important handwashing is - the surprising levels of contamination that we found on everyday objects is a sign that people are forgetting to wash their hands after the toilet, one of the key moments for infection prevention.'
來自倫敦衛生和熱帶醫學院的瓦爾-柯蒂斯博士說：“我們的研究表明洗手有多麼重要——我們在日常用品上發現的驚人污染物含量證明，人們在上廁所後忘了要洗手，而這正是預防傳染病的一個重要環節。”

Nick Wilcher, marketing manager of Radox, who funded the study to raise awareness of Global Handwashing Day, said: 'Our research highlights just how much bacteria we are exposed to in our everyday lives, on objects such as money and cards.
樂多舒肥皂公司資助了此項研究，這項研究意在喚起大家對全球洗手日的認識。該公司市場部經理尼克-韋爾奇說：“我們的研究提醒大家，我們在日常生活中接觸了大量的細菌，比如鈔票和銀行卡上。”

'We hope this study makes people think twice and encourages people to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating.'
“我們希望這項研究讓人們反思，從而促使大家在飯前便後洗手。”

Samples were taken from 272 people from east and west London, Birmingham and Liverpool - and in total 816 specimens were collected.
研究樣本從來自東西倫敦、伯明翰和利物浦的272人的隨身物品中提取——總共採集了816份樣本。

Out of the samples taken, the cards and notes in Birmingham showed the most contamination, with faecal matter detected on 17 per cent of specimens.
在提取的樣本中，來自伯明翰的銀行卡和鈔票攜帶的污染物最多，17%的樣本中都檢測到糞便污物。