Copper could help reduce infections in our hospitals, schools and public buildings.
Thousands of tests of copper metal samples under highly controlled laboratory conditions have confirmed the ability of copper and copper alloy surfaces to control the growth of bacteria.
Researchers have shown that alloy surfaces containing more than 65% copper will kill 99% of bacteria within 2 hours, with bacteria remaining inactive for 24 hours or more.
Eighty percent of infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. To the naked eye, stainless steel and aluminium surfaces appear to be clean yet still harbour deadly microbes. These microbes rarely survive on copper for longer than 90 minutes, making copper alloys ideal for common touch surfaces such as door handles, push plates and hand rails, particularly in health care and educational facilities where concerns over infection are highest.
Copper has proven effective against common disease-causing bacteria such as E.coli, streptococcus and staphylococcus. The common flu virus, Influenza A, has trouble surviving on copper, as does Aspergillus niger, a common mould found in air conditioning systems. It is even effective against one of the more virulent strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections, Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA).
The International Copper Association is now working with the manufacturers of hospital equipment and hardware to ensure they are fully informed of the benefits of copper touch surfaces. Scientists also continue to test the effectiveness of copper against an increasing number of super bugs, fungi and viruses.
1 comment:
Back when I used to work with farm animals, we would throw a few scrap pieces of copper tubing or pipe fittings in the water troughs. This prevented the animals from being sickened by bad water. This practice has existed for many years. Surprising that medical science is just catching on.
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