Credit cards DO NOT cause cancer...but they can cause financial discomfort

I was beginning to worry about the "illness" I encountered regularly, usually around the middle of the month.

Sweaty palms, palpitations, dry mouth, visions.

Here I was thinking it was something really bad...like Hansen's Disease (politically correct way of saying LEPROSY) or maybe even the bird flu...when it was actually just the arrival of my monthly credit card statement.

But today, all my fears about sitting on one of those grimy and uncomfortable (possibly germ harbouring) chairs while waiting to see an undertrained and uninterested doctor at Hamad Medical Centre suddenly dissolved!

All thanks to the detective work of one of the local Doha newspapers. Phew! i'm so glad someone had the courage to FINALLY break this story...

NHA says credit cards pose no health hazard
Published: Monday, 14 July, 2008, 12:58 AM Doha Time
AN advisory issued by the National Health Authority yesterday says there is no scientific evidence that bank credit cards cause cancer or harm health. “According to information from the environment health sources, credit cards or electronic card-readers have no side effects on public health,” it stated. Citing an official source of NHA, it further stated that due to health concerns among the public about the usage of electronic cards and any possible side effects on health, the authority is keen to clarify this issue and reaffirms its commitment to secure the health and safety of the Qatari society by following up on most recent medical researches and studies on the international level.