Teeming masses of bacteria are in your mouth, on your skin, up your nose and on the surface of your eye, in your mouth, deep in your bowels, and well, just about everywhere. These bacteria are possible sources of coronavirus.
Along with sheltering in place, social distancing and frequent hand washing, donning a cloth facial covering that envelops the nose and mouth represents one of the few tools available for curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
The virus can leap from one person to others in close proximity in the near-invisible droplets expelled during coughing speaking or sneezing. Masks help to block those respiratory droplets from spewing onto other people.
Here are some data that help show the value of a mask. Lyall Watson reports, "With each spoken word, particularly those with explosive consonants like 't' or 'p', we put 250 tiny droplets into the air. Forty percent of these contain one or more bacteria, usually Streptococcus or potentially dangerous droplets. A single cough is worth 2,000 words, wheeling out 5,000 potentially dangerous droplets. But a sneeze is the Rolls Royce of bacterial vehicles. With acceleration from a standing start to 400 meters per second, almost the speed of sound, most of them infected, this biological tornado burdens the air with as many bacteria as would normally be dispersed by someone speaking 400,000 words-- which would mean talking non-stop for fifty-five hours or reading War and Peace out loud."1
Contaminated Surfaces
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a news release that says indirect contact from a contaminated surface remains a potential risk for catching Covid-19.
So does this mean we can catch coronavirus from touching a doorknob? Catching a Frisbee? Sharing a casserole dish? The answer, in theory, is yes, but surface transmission is not a dominant one.2
Paper Money and Bacteria, and Viruses
A related topic about bacteria are germs found on paper money. Researchers at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio collected 68 dollar bills from people at a grocery store and a high-school sporting event. Sixty-four (94%) of the bills were contaminated with bacteria known to cause either serous or mild illness. Five bills (7%) were contaminated with bacteria which cause infections in healthy people. Those bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, both of which can cause pneumonia or blood infections. Fifty-nine bills (87%) were contaminated with bacteria that are usually harmless in healthy individuals, but can still trigger serious illness in those with depressed immune systems. However, real risks to the average consumer are pretty low. US dollar bills may be no more or less covered in microbial goo than, say door knobs, pens or computer keyboards.3
In another study, researchers found that dollar bills from a Manhattan bank carried 3,000 types of bacteria. Most were the kind found on people's skin, while others were similar to those found in mouths and even in vaginas. While most of the bacteria detected on the dollar bills were associated with mild conditions such as acne, there were some antibiotic resistant types, including the superbug methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).4
Researchers said their study suggests that paper money could be a way for bacteria to pass between people.
Depending on where you are in the world, you might get a different reaction to this issue. Disease experts in northeastern India issued a report that said "overused and soiled" currency can transmit tuberculosis, pneumonia and other lung infections. British health authorities and travel guides regularly warn tourists in this region to wash their hands following every financial transaction. 5
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An alternate is to just carry coins. Patricia Gadsby reports that anything that is very hard and dry isn't terribly hospitable to bacteria, and many metals have antibacterial activity. Copper is especially good, even though pennies no longer have much copper. In 1982 the composition of a penny was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. Since the copper is on the outer surface, having been used to electroplate over the zinc, it should be effective. 6 Antimicrobial copper products have been reported kill greater than 99.9% of microorganisms. 7
An interesting prediction from a while back (2001) from researcher Dr. Peter Ender: "Money tends to move, and US currency, especially finds its way into all areas of the word. With the rapid dissemination of money in the era of drug resistant bacteria, perhaps a resistance clone could be spread from one geographic location to another." 8
One Last Item
An alternate is to just carry coins. Patricia Gadsby reports that anything that is very hard and dry isn't terribly hospitable to bacteria, and many metals have antibacterial activity. Copper is especially good, even though pennies no longer have much copper. In 1982 the composition of a penny was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. Since the copper is on the outer surface, having been used to electroplate over the zinc, it should be effective. 6 Antimicrobial copper products have been reported kill greater than 99.9% of microorganisms. 7
An interesting prediction from a while back (2001) from researcher Dr. Peter Ender: "Money tends to move, and US currency, especially finds its way into all areas of the word. With the rapid dissemination of money in the era of drug resistant bacteria, perhaps a resistance clone could be spread from one geographic location to another." 8
Bacteria may travel thousands of miles through the air worldwide instead of hitching rides with people and animals, according to Rutgers and other scientists. The research suggests that there must be a planet-wide mechanism that ensures the exchange of bacteria between faraway places. 9
Scientists want to test this 'air bridge hypothesis' by sampling air at different altitudes and locations around the world and by identifying the bacteria at these locations. An interesting issue requiring more research.
The bottom line is that the best way to protect ourselves from coronavirus—whether it's surface transmission or close human contact—is social distancing, washing our hands, not touching our faces, wearing masks, and avoid using paper money.
References
Lyall Watson, Heaven's Breath: A Natural History of the Wind, (New York, NY, William Morrow & Co., 1984), 157
Tara Parker-Pope, "What's the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?", The New York Times, May 28, 2020
Laura Lee, 100 Most Dangerous Things In Everyday Life, (New York, NY, Broadway Books, 2004)
"Paper money carries thousands of types of bacteria," webmd.com, April 23, 2014
teve Newman, "Currency health risk," San Francisco Chronicle, May 4, 2002
Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology. He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.
