Canada switching to plastic dollars

Published 6:29 pm Friday, March 5, 2010

Canada’s paper money is going plastic.

Starting in late 2011, the Bank of Canada will replace the country’s cotton-paper bank notes — prone to wear and tear — with synthetic polymer ones that last two to three times as long.

These far-hardier bills won’t be indestructible — a flame is still a threat, for instance — but they will be virtually waterproof, meaning Canadians need worry no longer if their bank notes go through the washing machine by mistake.

The Bank of Canada is staying mum on the specific technology.

However, plastic bills introduced in Australia apparently harbor fewer germs because its harder for bacteria to cling to the money.

Scientists in 2007 demonstrated that some strains of flu virus could live for as long as 17 days on bank notes.

Associated Press