Canadian bills: Melting in the heat?

They were tested in extreme temperatures, ranging from 140°C and to -75°C.

But now, it seems, the new Canadian 50 and 100 dollar bills can’t take the heat. In fact, in some cases, the polymer bills have been shrivelling up like a piece of cooked bacon.

As the Toronto Star reported this week, some Canadians have been shocked to discover that their so-called indestructible new bills are being damaged by heat. Cases of the 50′s and 100′s being “fried” in hot cars, on top of toaster ovens and close to heaters have all been reported.

Recent heat waves and days of scorching temperatures aren’t helping matters, either.

Last November, when the new $50 and $100′s were put into circulation by the Bank of Canada, spokesperson Julie Girard told The Weather Network that the bills were designed to withstand the elements.

“We wanted to make sure that the transition to polymer would meet all of the requirements of Canada, including extreme weather shifts from one season to the next or one region to the next.”

And tests demonstrated that the bill “weathered” very well in all of the different Canadian conditions.

“We put them in boiling water and we also put them in a chamber that went all the way down to -61°C to make sure they resisted very well.”

Only a small number of notes have been damaged by the heat overall, but the Bank of Canada is investigating. They say they will also redeem damaged notes after they’ve examined them at their laboratory in Ottawa.

via Canadian bills: Melting in the heat? – The Weather Network.

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