A new study confirms what many suspected: Gas pump handles are filthy, filthy, filthy.

Here's another reason to buy an EV and fuel it by plugging it in at home -- the YECH! factor.

Confirming what many of us have known all along, a recently released study has found that gas pump handles are the most germ-infested surfaces we touch on a regular basis.

Why?

Sneeze-in-hand, then pump
First, because so many people touch gas pump handles, frequently with extremely filthy hands.

Think about the guy who just sneezed into his hand before grabbing the pump, or who just took a trip to the Pay-n-Pump can and didn't wash his hands afterward, and you get the picture -- probably one you didn't want to get ;-)

Second -- and this we'll let one of the researchers say for us because he does it so well:

"It comes down to the fact that nobody cleans the things that you're going to touch on a daily basis," said Dr. Kelly Arehart, program leader of Kimberly-Clark's Healthy Workplace Project, which conducted the study.

Come to think of it, when's the last time you saw someone cleaning the gas pump handles at your local self-serve station? Never? We thought so!

Escalator rails filthy too
Gas pump handles aren't the only "grody" public surfaces touched by thousands daily and rarely if ever cleaned. Based on this Kimberly-Clark study results, you might want to consider not touching public mailboxes, escalator rails and ATM buttons -- or maybe carrying a box of disposable rubber gloves with you everywhere you go and/or a can of hand wipes.

While you may have trouble staying away from surfaces such as ATM buttons and even escalator rails -- yes, you can take the stairs, but here's betting that the handrail on the stairs next to escalators isn't squeaky clean either  -- you can ensure you'll never have to touch a gas pump handle again.

Replace your gasoline car with an electric car and -- voila  -- you're done with grimy gas pumps forever!

Of course, you still might want to clean the handle of your home EV charging station every now and then ;-)

And, of course, there's also the issue of public EV charging stations -- but they're not likely to get touched by nearly as many hands as gas pumps, at least not for quite awhile.

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