According to a recent report, the typical Manhattan ATM is more bacteria-ridden than a wide range of other heavily used objects, including a subway pole, an NYC Wi-Fi hub and the handle of a public toilet at Penn Station.
Mike Brown of financial product marketplace LendEDU left the comfort of his Hoboken office on Jan. 4 armed with a Hygiena SystemSURE Plus ‐ a handheld testing device that measures bacteria on a given surface ‐ to test 20 different ATMs (split between Times Square and the West Village).
The keypad, touch screen and card-reader of each cash machine was tested. He also tested nine other objects and surfaces in the city to see how they compared with ATMs.
Predictably, the more heavily trafficked Midtown machines were also the dirtiest, with one Times Square ATM measuring an overall 513 RLU (relative light units), compared to a reading of 68 RLU for a subway pole, 163 RLU for the Penn Station public toilet handle and 370 RLU at a Father Demo Square park bench, with the highest numbers indicating the most bacteria. The pass limit for food-service establishments and operating rooms is 10 RLU.