Is Copper Right For Me?

This section provides summaries of key information that should be considered when deciding to add antimicrobial copper to your facility.  The topics (in RED) listed below are on the drop-down pages Menu tab - "Is Copper Right for You?".  Please review the information and Contact Us for more more information and guidance (Cu.microbes@gmail.com).

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• Facilities That Need Copper:  Public spaces, particularly those frequented by large numbers of people, are hot-spots for bacteria and other microbes on touch surfaces.  It is estimated that 80% of all infections are transmitted from person to person via touch surfaces.  Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces in public facilities is proven to reduce contamination.

• Demonstration Projects:  Examples of different businesses and healthcare facilities that have taken the plunge and incorporated antimicrobial copper are presented here.  Photos and descriptions of the installations undertaken by the Copper Development Association and the International Copper Association to provide a vision of the potential for your company.

• Copper & the Infection Crisis:  The world is fighting a battle with an "unseen enemy", infectious disease organisms.  One battle zone is the hospitals, described briefly here, which have suffered with unacceptable rates of hospital acquired infections.  Antimicrobial copper is the "new 'old' weapon" in the fight against infectious disease.

• Care & Cleaning Protocols:  Antimicrobial copper alloys are easy to clean and maintain their antimicrobial activity continuously and without human intervention.  These characteristics make it the go-to choice if you are concerned about the spread of infectious disease in your facility.

• Copper Resistance?:  Discusses the underlying evidence that bacterial organisms are unable to become resistant to killing by exposure to antimicrobial copper alloy surfaces.  This is a very important consideration when one balances the cost of doing a copper installation versus the risk of acquiring an infection in your facility. 

• Copper versus Silver:  ​​You may have heard that silver is also antimicrobial.  The reported studies have investigated silver-containing materials but under conditions that are far from any reasonable ambient conditions of temperature and humidity.  Antimicrobial copper works at everyday conditions found in your facility.  Read about this here.

• The Copper Advantage - A Guide to Working With Copper and Copper Alloys:  This page provides a link to a comprehensive document on all aspects of copper and copper alloys.  

• EPA Approval of Antimicrobial Copper:  The US Environmental Protection Agency approved over 400 different copper alloys as capable of killing, on contact exposure, over 99.9% of 6 bacterial species.  A summary of the approval is presented here.  For a full description of the EPA approval, go to EPA Registration tab on this site (https://www.amcopper.com/epa-registration).