Infectious disease culture from swab off hospital stanless steel door knob . Hospital lab testing facility, Charlotte, N.C.
Copper it seems is not just another metal.
Recent studies even suggest that copper instead of stainless steel in certain objects in hospital intensive care units could help reduce the rate of patients infections.
This has to do with the miraculous anti microbial properties of copper.
While scientists aren’t exactly sure why copper has anti-microbial qualities they think it may have to do with the fact that copper is a good conductor of electricity. So microbes could be literally “short circuiting” if they remain in contact with the copper.
In fact studies have shown that most microbes, viruses and bacteria die within a few hours of coming into contact with copper.
The research into copper was rekindled about 10 years ago when a nursing study found fewer patient infection rates in hospitals room with “copper handles”.
The problem now is getting local hospitals boards in the United States and around the world to implement such critical changes, as would help reduce their hospital infection rates.
I suppose we should begin with the whole copper door knob thing, since that much is already proven at least.
Robert Tilford
See also: PDF file Lowering infection rates in hospitals – the role of copper alloys in fighting infectious organisms http://www.copperinfo.co.uk/antimicrobial/downloads/pub-189-lowering-infection-rates-in-hospitals.pdf
See related video: Fighting bacteria with copper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQSIF8xk5w8