Attention! Cleanup needed on self-checkout counter “No. 2.”
Self-service checkouts may be an efficient way to shop but with convenience comes a side of feces, according to a new experiment.
Self-service checkouts are often covered in harmful bacteria — some of which are found in fecal matter, according to the experiment conducted by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK and backed by the NHS public health officials.
“We live in a bacterial world — bacteria and microbes are everywhere, and we come into contact with them all day, every day,” Dr. Adam Roberts, who analyzed the swab results from the study, told the Daily Mail.
Scientists swabbed 19 items that people touch every day — such as handrails, door handles and keyboards and self-service checkouts — and analyzed them in a lab. They found many of the items contained “high bacterial loads.”
According to Roberts, the results from the self-service checkouts were particularly alarming, as they contained five types of bacteria that are known to cause disease in people including enterococcus, a bacteria found in feces.
The number of bacteria found on items was concerning since so many people touch self-checkout counters daily and could potentially become ill if infected by them.
Experts are warning people to thoroughly wash their hands after touching anything in a public space to avoid picking up a bug. They warned that the surfaces may look clean but said that bacteria is invisible to the naked eye.
E. coli and bacteria called Klebsiella were found on a number of items. The severity of the strains varied but they can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and bloody stools. Although they may not be harmful to most people, those with vulnerable immune systems could be severely impacted.
“While both exist naturally in feces and intestines, given the right environment, they are able to cause quite severe diseases in humans,” Roberts said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of people across the US are reporting having the flu with nearly 3,000 deaths from the virus since the beginning of October.