<p> Stephanie Connell, 52, suffered from depression, body rash and exhaustion and some some of the symptoms remain 18 months after leaving the job. <br /><br />She took up a bulk teller’s position in March 2007 after working as a Westpac teller for almost 10 years, The Press reported on Monday. <br /><br />Connell worked in “an unventilated vault, about the size of a double garage” where she constantly handled notes and ripped the tops of plastic bags containing money. <br /><br />Filthiest stuff<br /><br />“There was a lot of green dust coming off the $20 bills that we ran through the bill counter. <br /><br />“Money is the filthiest stuff you could ever imagine. You can absorb the dust through your hands, but I was inhaling it as well,” she was quoted as saying. <br /><br />By July 2008, Connell had “waves of anxiety, difficulty breathing, and a chemical, metallic taste” in her mouth. The symptoms would clear overnight, but return at work. She was bedridden for several weeks and referred to a psychiatrist. <br /><br />“They took my health and my livelihood. I thought, if this is the way I’m living, I want to die.” <br /><br />She browsed the internet and found the multiple-chemical sensitivity syndrome that matched her symptoms. <br /><br />General practitioner Ted Pearson said in a letter to the bank’s union: “The symptoms and harm suffered by Stephanie were the direct result of her exposure to dust and fumes whilst handling money, not from any other non-work activities or environments.”</p>
<p> Stephanie Connell, 52, suffered from depression, body rash and exhaustion and some some of the symptoms remain 18 months after leaving the job. <br /><br />She took up a bulk teller’s position in March 2007 after working as a Westpac teller for almost 10 years, The Press reported on Monday. <br /><br />Connell worked in “an unventilated vault, about the size of a double garage” where she constantly handled notes and ripped the tops of plastic bags containing money. <br /><br />Filthiest stuff<br /><br />“There was a lot of green dust coming off the $20 bills that we ran through the bill counter. <br /><br />“Money is the filthiest stuff you could ever imagine. You can absorb the dust through your hands, but I was inhaling it as well,” she was quoted as saying. <br /><br />By July 2008, Connell had “waves of anxiety, difficulty breathing, and a chemical, metallic taste” in her mouth. The symptoms would clear overnight, but return at work. She was bedridden for several weeks and referred to a psychiatrist. <br /><br />“They took my health and my livelihood. I thought, if this is the way I’m living, I want to die.” <br /><br />She browsed the internet and found the multiple-chemical sensitivity syndrome that matched her symptoms. <br /><br />General practitioner Ted Pearson said in a letter to the bank’s union: “The symptoms and harm suffered by Stephanie were the direct result of her exposure to dust and fumes whilst handling money, not from any other non-work activities or environments.”</p>