On Thursday, July 21st, at 1:00 p.m. ET, the Copper Development Association will host a live webinar about Antimicrobial Copper Surfaces – Clinical & Laboratory Performance. Copper surfaces are intrinsically antimicrobial, a property of these materials which has never been fully employed for the benefit of society or fully understood.
Dr. Harold Michels, Senior Vice President of Technology and Technical Services for the CDA, is the presenter. Dr. Michels holds several U.S. patents and has authored and co-authored numerous technical papers including papers relating to the antimicrobial properties of copper. He is one of the Principal Investigators of the clinical trials underway at three major hospitals investigating copper’s ability to reduce biological surface contamination in Intensive Care Unit rooms.
By Charles Feigley, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of South Carolina
Charles Feigley, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina, this month presented a paper at the 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate in Austin, Texas. The paper described studies underway at the Fort Jackson U.S. Army base in Columbia, S.C on the use of copper heat exchangers to suppress the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew that can cause odors and compromise system effectiveness. This study is supported by the U.S. Army and is a collaboration of the Copper Development Association, the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina and Washington State University. Read more…
Watch how infection-causing bacteria dies on copper surfaces in a live experiment, 9 a.m. EDST, April 4. You will be able to see through a powerful microscope how MRSA, the bacteria responsible for numerous hospital-acquired infections and one of the world’s deadliest microbes, dies on Antimicrobial Copper touch surfaces. The webcast is sponsored by the Copper Development Association, the International Copper Association and the European Copper Institute.
To register for the April 4 webcast and receive an email reminder, go to:
By Wilton Moran, Project Engineer Copper Development Association
The fourth annual virtual ICT Conference held February 9-10th by Infection Control Today Magazine focused on Professional Development and broke attendance records to date with 5,000 individual participants. The Copper Development Association hosted a virtual booth. I was able to connect virtually and directly with healthcare professionals from around the globe who also attended live from their office or home-office computers. Read more…
Part of my primary role at the CDA, I am focused on “taking the copper message to the market” and educating architects, designers, plumbers and environmentalists on copper advancements. I have exhibited at various conferences most recently, the HCD conference in Las Vegas, SETAC in Portland, OR. Another part of my job has been to manage our consultant, Ron Blank & Associates that hosted 40+ antimicrobial education seminars across the US. With every opportunity to meet other industry professionals, I am able to introduce copper and its advanced antimicrobial properties.
For example, while exhibiting at the Heathcare Design Conference in Las Vegas, the CDA staff and I heard from design professionals that questioned the efficacy of nano-silver or silver-ion based antimicrobial technology. Several architects related their concern that expensive silver-ion based coatings wear off and quickly need replacement. Copper proved to be a great alternative for them, by its durability and ability to kill bacteria, unlike silver-ion coatings, which only protect surfaces and not the person (note that research has shown that silver-ion coatings are only antimicrobial at high temperatures (above 98 F) and at high humidity).
In addition, at the same conference a manufacturer of plastic-coated healthcare cabinetry that employs Microban, another popular antimicrobial additive, stated that he was aware of his current material’s inability to kill bacteria. After meeting with the CDA, he’s looking forward to using copper alloys in a new product, while phasing out his Microban coated cabinetry.
Bay Architects, a Texas firm that specializes in school design, expressed interest in outfitting a local Texas school in copper based touch surfaces. Bay Architects wanted to design a structure with copper water coolers, door hardware, soap dispensers and locker rooms to aide in stopping the spread of MRSA and other bacteria. For additional information about Bay Architects projects, please see http://www.bayarchitects.com/projects.aspx
We look forward in 2011 to meeting new conference and seminar attendees and introducing them to the “copper world”. Our Building and Construction Team Meeting mid-January will outline our program for the upcoming year. Check out Copper.org for calendar details. To find out more about the antimicrobial properties of copper or for questions about working with copper, soldering or designing – - please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m available for consultation and to offer advice in copper continuing education at WSeale@cda.copper.org. For more information about copper’s antimicrobial properties, please visit antimicrobialcopper.com.
By Wilton Moran, Copper Development Association Project Engineer, Material Sciences
Last month, CDA and a team of researchers presented clinical trial results in a poster session at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections. These trials, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, assessed the ability of Antimicrobial Copper to reduce the amount of bacteria on surfaces commonly found in hospital rooms. More than 3,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, infection preventionists and other health care decision-makers attended the conference. The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) sponsored the conference.
It was important for us to create a buzz at the conference because people just don’t know enough yet about the work we’re doing. We got the EPA registrationin 2008 and currently have clinical trials going on at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, both of which are in Charleston, S.C.
The first phase of the study showed that the most heavily contaminated objects are those closest to patients, such as bed rails, nurse’s call buttons and visitor chair arms. The study found high levels of Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) on those common objects. We know these bacteria can survive for long periods of time, so these contaminated surfaces can spread bacteria to people – patients, visitors and health care workers.
On the poster, findings from the second phase of the trial were presented. This phase involved replacing stainless steel and plastic versions of bed rails, tray tables, chair arms, nurse’s call buttons, monitors and IV poles with copper in the ICU rooms of the three hospitals participating in the study. The results attracted a lot of attention.
Researchers, who are specialists in infectious diseases, were very interested in our work. Many stopped by our booth, provided their contact information and requested periodic updates on the progress of the program. People from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were also interested in what we had to say. We also had several visitors from the CDC. When we first started this work, we learned that CDC needed to see a large body of published research papers in the public domain. At the conference we saw their interest and at this point, we know we’re getting their attention and they’re taking us more seriously.
There’s much more recognition now of the role of surface contamination in hospital-acquired infections. That’s a huge plus for us because obviously if they think that’s a problem, health care decision-makers may consider antimicrobial surfaces in the future.
If you’d like more information on the antimicrobial properties of copper, check out our brand website, Antimicrobial Copper.
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By Wilton Moran, CDA Project Engineer
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