Euros rub Spaniards up the wrong way

Ten days after the euro was introduced up to 20 Spaniards have sought hospital treatment in Barcelona for painful itching and red hands caused by handling the €1 and €2 coins. Nickel is known to cause skin allergies and is present in some euro coins. A spokesman for the European Central Bank said that the nickel content of the euro coins is below the average of the nickel in almost all of the national series of coinage, including that of Spain and the United Kingdom. [To find full text of article use 'More search options' on homepage.]