And nooowww.. For something completely different.. :0)
Study: Euro getting under people's skin
By Steven Komarow
USA TODAY
BERLIN -- The euro has been blamed for all sorts of ills since its introduction this year, including inflation and the loss of national pride among Europeans. Now it's being blamed for, well, illness.
Swiss scientists say the two-tone 1- and 2-euro coins release high levels of nickel when they are exposed to human sweat. Nickel against the skin can cause eczema, irritation or other allergic reactions.
In an article in the British science journal Nature, a team led by Frank Nestle of the University of Zurich says seven volunteers with known allergies to nickel had coins taped to their skin for up to three days. In every case, there was ''a strong reaction'' in the skin, he reports.
The problem, according to the study, is the bi-metallic construction of the coins, which are used in 12 European countries. Where the two alloys meet, salt in sweat causes an electrical current. The current corrodes the metals, similar to the corrosion that happens on terminals of an automobile battery.
So even though the coins contain only a small percentage of nickel, the result is that more nickel is freed than when a piece of pure nickel metal is placed against the skin. Smaller-denomination euro coins, which are made of a single alloy, do not release appreciable levels of nickel.
Because nickel allergies are common, the European Union has a safety regulation on the nickel content in jewelry, watchbands and other items worn against the skin for prolonged periods. Nestle's report estimates the nickel released by the euro coin exceeds the limit by 240 to 320 times.
''Whether or not this is acceptable by European standards hinges on the meaning of 'prolonged' contact,'' he writes.
Coins are exempted from the EU regulation of nickel. Nestle suggested further research on how to make the coins safer, but there was no immediate sign the European Union would undertake it.
Taping coins to skin is an unusual activity, a spokesman at the European Central Bank said. But those who have a nickel sensitivity and are exposed to coins a lot, such as cashiers, might use gloves or other methods to protect their skin, he said.
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