ROCKY HILL, Conn. -- Germs have always been associated with money,but Eyewitness News sent samples to the lab to find out how dirty money really is.

Eyewitness News also swabbed four random ATMs, and sent the swabs to Northeast Laboratories in Berlin.

Dr. Alan Johnson studied the results.

"Take a look at those numbers, the numbers are just very high," he said.

All of the ATM results came back with bacteria counts in the hundred-thousand range.

An ATM in downtown Hartford had the lowest bacteria count -- 290,000.

A small area swabbed at an Avon ATM yielded 310,000 live organisms. A West Hartford Center ATM had 340,000 bacteria.

The most bacteria was found at a Rocky Hill ATM, where 360,000 organisms were found on the buttons. All four keypads had mostly bacillus bacteria and pseudomonas, which can cause skin rashes, eye infections and stomach bugs. The bacteria can also prolong common colds and the flu.

The bacteria count for the cash and changed tested by Johnson was well over one million.

"Every so often you'll see people licking their finger … to make change -- probably not a good idea," Johnson said.

Johnson said that a good hand-washing is the best way to kill germs, but recommended hand sanitizer for when a sink and soap aren't available.

He said that one way to avoid the germs at the ATM is to use a pen to punch information into the keypad.