Antimicrobial Copper: Breaking the Chain of Infection

Architects and designers have a key role to play in designing infection out of our hospitals and public spaces, and now they have a new ally: Antimicrobial Copper.

Antimicrobial Copper is the umbrella term for over 450 copper alloys – including brasses, bronzes and copper-nickels – with proven efficacy against headline-making germs, including ‘hospital superbugs’ such as MRSA, norovirus and E.coli. While these can survive on other materials for days, weeks, even months, they are rapidly destroyed on Antimicrobial Copper.

Touch surfaces made from Antimicrobial Copper work continuously – day and night, between touches and cleans – providing a more hygienic environment and improving patient safety.

Research into Antimicrobial Copper’s efficacy has been peer-reviewed and published, with stringent testing carried out to support an official registration with the US Environmental Protection Agency as an antimicrobial material.

Clinical trials under way around the world are demonstrating the benefit of Antimicrobial Copper in actual use conditions. These have taken/are taking place in many hospital settings, providing a variety of trial protocols, ward types (geriatric, intensive care and general medical), local clinical strains of organisms and national healthcare environments to put Antimicrobial Copper to the test.

Results from these varied trials show that microbial contamination is significantly and consistently reduced on copper compared to standard surfaces, by 83–100%.

Results from a multi-centre US clinical trial, funded by the Department of Defense, take this evidence to a new level by evaluating the connection between contamination on frequently touched surfaces and patient acquisition of infections. The published findings demonstrate that the use of antimicrobial copper surfaces in intensive care units (ICUs) can reduce the number of healthcare-associated infections by 58% as compared to patients treated in ICUs with non-copper touch surfaces.

Addressing the cost-efficacy of these simple interventions, York Health Economics Consortium has estimated a return on investment of less than two months when comparing the small additional cost of copper alloy components with the savings made through fewer infections.

The substantial evidence base, together with a growing supply chain, has led to installations in healthcare facilities and beyond, in areas where people gather and infections can spread, such as train stations, airports, care homes and schools.

Santiago Bueras Train Station and Alameda Bus Station, in Chile, are two examples of transport hubs using Antimicrobial Copper to help reduce the spread of infections. Alameda is a main route for travel between the north and south of the country, seeing around 10 million people flow through it each year. ‘With the protection of antimicrobial copper, we are contributing to the prevention of infections, and so the health of our passengers and our team of cashiers,’ says Victor Ide, General Manager of Turbus, the company that runs the Bus Station where Antimicrobial Copper ticket counters and coin boxes have been introduced.

Atlanta Airport in the US and Congonhas Airport in Brazil are further examples of Antimicrobial Copper’s deployment in mass transit, with the former opting for Antimicrobial Copper surfaces on over 50 bottle filling stations, and the latter featuring Antimicrobial Copper hand rails, counter tops and elevator guard rails.

Schools using Antimicrobial Copper to help reduce the spread of infections between students and staff include Greece’s Arsakion School, France’s Sylvain Lambert Primary School and Japanese Child Centers Kohitsuji and Mejiro.

Antimicrobial Copper is durable, and since its antimicrobial properties are intrinsic to the metal, they last the lifetime of the product, unlike coatings, even if subject to knocking and scratching. At end of life, the products are also 100% recyclable, contributing to sustainable design.

Antimicrobial Copper is available in a range of colours to suit all design themes – from the rich reds of high coppers, through the warm golden-yellows of the brasses, to the silvery-whites of nickel silvers. These colour choices can help designers create a warmer, more soothing, healing environment and reduce contamination and thus infection risk.

Priority surfaces to upgrade include door furniture, worktops, hand rails, lift interiors, light switches and taps. See the following table for a more comprehensive list (items with asterisks beside them indicate items that have been deployed in clinical trials).

When specifying Antimicrobial Copper products, the usual product specifications and functional characteristics will apply but the following should also be noted:

• Antimicrobial copper items are made from solid copper alloy and are not copper plated or painted. This ensures a long life and continued effectiveness.
• Antimicrobial copper items must not be lacquered, plated or painted. Any surface coating, apart from natural oxidation, could make the copper completely ineffective.
• Antimicrobial copper items are available in a range of colours including copper, brass, gold, bronze and silver. Where colour matching across different products is important, this needs to be taken into consideration.
• Antimicrobial copper items will take the usual brushed and polished finishes, depending upon aesthetic requirements or in consideration of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). However, chromium plating or paint should never be applied.
• Antimicrobial copper products are marked with Cu⁺ and marketed with the Antimicrobial Copper logo to show that they are supplied by registered companies and made from approved copper alloys with efficacy backed by science.

It’s a new way of thinking, a different mindset: specifying an effective and durable antimicrobial material for hygiene-sensitive environments to help break the chain of infection and curb the spread of disease.

Visit www.antimicrobialcopper.org to:

• View case studies, specification guidance and news.
• Browse the Antimicrobial Copper Product Directory.
• Keep in touch – sign up to our newsletter to be entered into a draw to win a Tom Dixon Cog Pen.

Note: This communication is intended for UK audiences and may include claims regarding antimicrobial copper products that are not supported by regulating bodies in other regions. Please visit www.antimicrobialcopper.org and select your region to learn more about approved claims and regulations.

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