Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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Putting copper to work in fight against Coronavirus
Have you ever wondered why copper has been so widely used over the years in kitchens? Well, it's not just for aesthetics. Copper just happens to have inherent antimicrobial properties that can dramatically reduce the spread of germs and disease.
That fact was not lost on a team of researchers and engineers who first met at West Texas A&M University in the US.
Together, they formed a company and developed a copper-based product called Copper Clean, which they say can play an important role in the fight against coronavirus.
West Texas A&M has a long history of successful development of antimicrobial products and Copper Clean was created in direct response to the call for a higher level of sanitation to help slow the spread of Coronavirus. It is an antimicrobial copper sticker and can be applied to door handles, push plates and other high-touch surfaces to kill surface-borne bacteria.
The patent-pending stickers are made from American-sourced copper, using an EPA-certified alloy proven to kill up to 99% of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. The product is also described as long-lasting, easy-to-install and affordable.
The product developers are quick to assert that Copper Clean is meant to complement and not replace proper cleaning of surfaces.
Dr Emily Hunt, president of Copper Clean, explains that multiple studies published by the National Institutes of Health, The New England Journal of Medicine and other sources illustrate the superior effectiveness of copper for slowing the spread of Covid-19. That, in turn, reinforces that Copper Clean is a product poised to have a transformative impact in the battle against the spread of infectious diseases.
"Viruses simply cannot survive on copper surfaces the way they can on other hard surfaces," she argues. "Based on our research and the natural properties of the alloy itself, we are excited about Copper Clean's potential to impact efforts to stop transmission of Covid-19 and other pathogens as the country begins its restart," she said. "It's time for copper to get its due."
Dr Harold Michels Ph.D., a consultant and retired senior vice president at the Copper Development Association, agrees: "Copper can be a powerful weapon in the fight against Covid-19 and future pandemics, but we have to use it," he says.
Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within two hours of exposure: MRSA, VRE, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7. Antimicrobial copper surfaces have been shown to inhibit microbial contamination from these microorganisms, but do not necessarily prevent cross-contamination or infections.
4th June 2020