Study of Antibacterial effects on Indian Currency

Abstract Indian currency is the official currency of India. With the advancement of science and technology several modes of cashless transaction have been introduced to our country but still a large section of our society is dependent on the transaction through currency notes. The composition of the Indian currency generally comprises of cotton rags, balsam and parts of silk for the purpose of security threads. These currency notes are a hidden threat to us as they transmit bacteria, virus and fungus through touch and gets transmitted from one person to another. An Indian note changes hands in an average of 500 times a day therefore increasing the chances of contaminating the currency getting high and the transmission of harmful diseases through this currency also increases. When these highly contaminated Indian currencies comes in contact with the human touch it results in the transmission of harmful bacteria into the humans therefore causing several bacteria prone diseases such as food poisoning diarrhoea Gonorrhoea, meningitis, ulcers, and several other diseases. Therefore, it is important to make the Indian currency antibacterial. The main focus of the study is to develop an antibacterial chemical agent which comprises of certain natural as well as chemical components as a solution which will be used to activate the antibacterial properties of the natural fibres present in the currency. Several investigations were carried out on how the natural ingredients that is of lemon extracts, industrial vinegar and ginger extract would act on the surface of the currency notes. Bleach was used to chlorinate the note as the fibroin fibres gets activated of the silk thread when chlorine treatment is done and it kills about 99.9% of the bacteria including E. coli and S. aureus. The application of the natural extracts on the surface of the currency showed specific changes as it was instantly more clear than previous condition. The acidic and the antibacterial properties of the natural ingredients used, makes the currency note bacteria free as well as dirt free for a certain period of time which is a notifiable change. The treated currency were seen to be preventing the growth of bacteria for a certain period of time because of the activation of antibacterial properties of silk fibres due to the application of chlorine on silk and also the application of natural ingredients therefore preventing the growth of bacteria by persisting on the outer surface of the currency.