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(NEWSER) – The Canadian dollar is melting. No, it's not sinking in value again, it's physically melting. Canada switched to "indestructible" polymer $50 and $100 bills a few months ago, but it turns out that both are prone to melting and curling in intense heat "like bacon in a frying pan," reports the Toronto Star. The bills were supposed to have been tested from -40 degrees to 280 degrees Fahrenheit, but pgeople are reporting that the bills can be damaged by the heat inside a car on a hot summer day. (Canada has those, really.) A Halifax man reported his bills turning into the shape of a "Coke bottle" after he left his wallet on a toaster oven, and plenty more anecdotes are coming in.
"So you can't rip them, you can’t tear them, you can’t wreck them by washing them but apparently you can heat them and melt them," says one banking industry insider. The Bank of Canada has defended the bills, saying they are "the most durable bank notes ever issued" in the country. "No bill is indestructible," a spokeswoman for the central bank tells the National Post, but "Canadian banknotes have been designed to ensure they can withstand the demanding weather." Holders of damaged notes may be able to get fresh ones—after the old ones are examined at a laboratory in Ottawa.