COPPER STOPS MICROBES, INCLUDING CORONAVIRUSES

From Clostridium difficile to MRSA to the COVID-19 virus, many of the microbes that make us sick can survive for days on metal and plastic surfaces. But one readily available material can stop them: copper.

Long known to have antimicrobial properties, copper was used in ancient times to sterilize drinking water and treat wounds. In a new study, researchers found that nearly 90 percent of the samples taken from traditional hospital beds had unsafe levels of bacteria, despite regular cleaning and disinfection. But beds made with copper rails, footboards, and controls had an average of 94 percent fewer bacteria.

Moving to copper would reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections, which sicken two million Americans annually and kill nearly 100,000. Installing copper would also save hospitals the $30,000 it costs to treat each infection.

Bill Keevil, PHD, a professor of environmental health care at the University of Southampton, speculates that if copper surfaces were put in buses, airports, and other communal areas, it could help stop the spread of SARS-COV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. According to one report, the strain survived for up to three days on plastic and stainless steel but just four hours

on copper.