The Risk Behind Currency Exchange

Most parents constantly tell their children to wash their hands after touching money, but what are they doing to protect their own selves from these unsanitary, yet vital objects? According to TIMES, money can be home to thousands of microbes, picked up from whatever contaminated surface it touches. Cash gets constantly traded for goods and services and can travel in circulation anywhere from five to twenty years. Over its life cycle, the paper money collects bacteria that leads straight to consumers, or back to the bank, and then traded some more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Importance of Local Banks
2. What’s Really on Money?
3. A Big Change From a Small Bank
4. Pathfinder Bank Joins the Clean Air Movement With HealthWay®
5. Investing in Air Purification for Banks
6. Air Purification in Banks is Essential

Importance of Local Banks

American banks have been around for hundreds of years, securing finances for billions of people. Especially in Upstate New York, local banks play a huge role in supporting small businesses and farmers through loans, investments, managing lines of credit, and so much more. If it wasn’t for community banks, there would be slim to no economic growth in rural and small towns. Loans wouldn’t be available to purchase a new car or home, and what about the life savings you’ve worked so hard to build?

According to Forbes, community banks represent 15% of the banking industry’s total loans but make 36% of all small business loans and 70% of all agricultural loans. If you’re a small business owner, a farmer, or live in a small town, community banks may be a big part of the backbone of your local economy. Unfortunately, there may be an unforeseen set of issues associated with their in-person locations.

The communal nature of banking and commerce can be harmful if not managed properly. Since most people interact with their local bank in some way, it could become the super-spreader location of the town if not handled safely.

What’s Really on Money?

Since cash can be touched by thousands of people, there is no knowing who or what touched the money when being returned to the bank. A common bacteria found on currency and in banks is Staphylococcus aureus, generally known as MRSA. MRSA can be picked up by anyone and transferred by skin-to-skin contact, crowded areas, or shared objects.

This type of bacteria can cause painful skin infections, but more serious illnesses such as pneumonia can occur if this bacteria is inhaled through the air. Nasal colonization can be asymptomatic or can result in swelling, boils, bleeding, or fevers. MRSA is not the only airborne pathogen within banks, there are also bacillus species, and a diverse collection of viruses and other harmful ultrafine particles traveling through the air. From MRSA to airborne viruses and bacteria, banks, credit unions, and other commerce-related facilities have a particularly important role to play in protecting occupants.

A Big Change from a Small Bank

While cleansing cash might not be convenient or a priority to most people, a Central New York Bank is doing its part to reduce the number of airborne germs within its facilities and is on the hunt to reimagine the world as a better, safer place. Pathfinder Bank joins the clean air movement through the investment of innovative air purification solutions from HealthWay®.  Aside from superb customer service – the bank’s employees, members, and locals can breathe easier when they head over to their community Pathfinder Bank. The majority of their locations now have several air purification units within their facilities.