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).

Why are you hesitating?

Regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, plus hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers are important first steps in the fight to kill the bacteria* that cause infections in hospitals and other settings.  However, the deployment of copper components as touch surfaces will help in this fight against acquired infections.  Antimicrobial copper serves as a supplement, not a substitute for cleaning and disinfection.  Consider taking the next step of adding copper to help in the fight against infections.  Go to the menu tab Contact Us (https://www.amcopper.com/take-the-next-step) and simply send an email to cu.microbes@gmail.com.

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Why should I consider using antimicrobial copper if the EPA indicates it is only supplement?

Many traditional infection control products, such as  gases, liquids and  sprays, as well as hand washing etc., and the use of hand sanitizers, which are also consider to be supplements by the EPA, are applied periodically, such once daily or once during each shift, and if an infection outbreak occurs, more frequently.  These are distinct one-time episodic events.  In marked contrast,  antimicrobial copper alloys are solid, metal surfaces  are continuously working.  When you choose to deploy antimicrobial copper in your facility, it will working hard  at be killing the bacteria* in between the periodic cleaning and disinfecting events and working 24 hours and day, 7 days a week.  Copper really works and keeps on working!

 

At this point you may have some questions, or ideas about new applications or a new project using antimicrobial copper components.

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Take the next step, and Contact Us at Cu.microbes@gmail.com.  Learn how the Antimicrobial Copper Action Network can help.  What do you have to loose?

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The Antimicrobial Copper Action Network - Location is in the United States, and serving the Globe:​

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Contact us at:  cu.microbes@gmail.com

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*EPA required statement:  Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, VRE, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7. Antimicrobial copper surfaces are a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices and have been shown to reduce microbial contamination, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination or infections; users must continue to follow all current infection control practices.

 

All EPA related statements on this website apply to the U.S. market and audiences only.​ 

For locations outside of the U.S., local regulatory guidelines should be consulted and followed.

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