Dirty money

Don’t lick your fingers while counting your cash in India. Soiled rupee banknotes are breeding grounds for the bugs that cause tonsillitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis, say scientists at the Regional Sophisticated Instrumentation Centre in Shillong. “The risk is serious. Many notes in India are soiled and held together with bits of sticky tape. These notes are potential killers,” says researcher Sudip Dey. The problem is worst in north-eastern India, he says, where notes tend to stay in circulation longer. The central Reserve Bank of India says it is working hard to replace old notes with new ones as quickly as possible.…