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Gas station faucet handles are recognized as the dirtiest object
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Scientists from the USA have come to the conclusion that the surface with the most bacteria contamination of those with which people come into contact in everyday life is the handles of gas station taps.
Researchers at Kimberly-Clark, a personal care corporation, studied hundreds of surfaces in six major U.S. cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia. On these surfaces, the scientists measured the concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the universal energy carrier of living organisms, indicating the presence of living cells.
It turned out that the most heavily contaminated items were fuel nozzles, followed by mailbox handles, escalator handrails and ATM buttons.
Close behind are parking meters, kiosk pick-up windows, and pedestrian traffic light buttons and vending machines in supermarkets.
"This means that no one is cleaning the things you might touch every day," concluded the expert group's leader, Kelly Arehart. Her colleague Brad Reynolds reminded that bacteria that gets on your skin can be transmitted up to seven times before it is washed off, and advised everyone to wash their hands thoroughly first thing when arriving at work or home.