Seaweed – a Natural Solution to Keep Banknotes Clean

COVID-19 has impacted cash usage in a number of ways. Some were inevitable, such as a reduction in use due to the move to online shopping and lockdowns. But one was avoidable and has unfairly and negatively affected both the use and perception of cash, and that was that it carried, and was capable of transmitting, the coronavirus.

This misinformation has been well covered in previous issues of Currency News™, but suffice to say some damage has been done from which cash usage may never fully recover.

When this attack on cash occurred, Currency News published a supplement to clarify the situation at that time, albeit that much of its content remains relevant.

One aspect the research for the COVID-19 supplement did bring to the fore was that banknotes can and do carry pathogens (infectious agents) such as bacteria and viruses. But so do other items that we touch and use every day. And there are ways in which banknotes can be treated to eliminate, or greatly reduce, the amount of such agents.