coppertalk

By Harold Michels, Copper Development Association Senior Vice President of Technology and Technical Services

On Feb. 29, 2008, the EPA registered 275 copper alloys with public health claims. Subsequently, that number has grown to 282. Under EPA guidelines, a public health claim relates to the control of organisms that pose a threat to human health. Dr. Harold Michels, PhD, senior vice president of technology and technical services for the Copper Development Association (CDA) was instrumental in making this happen. An engineer, Dr. Michels also has a PhD in materials science. He joined the CDA 10 years ago.

 The fundamental properties of copper, which I reviewed when I arrived at the CDA 10 years ago, included electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, the color of the material and its physical and mechanical properties. Then I came across another somewhat obscure property of copper. Its inherently antimicrobial response.

We’re trying to get decision-makers, including hospital administrators, infectious disease professionals and architects to recognize that copper can help in the fight against the bacteria that cause infections. People just don’t know about this. What’s really amazing is that ancient societies recognized that copper was antimicrobial before there was a germ theory. But the idea to study this came from a student nurse’s project that was published in a newsletter in 1983. They looked at brass and stainless steel doorknobs in a hospital and found little bacteria on the brass and lots of bacteria on the stainless steel. And then they actually put bacteria on the brass and stainless steel and observed the same thing.

So I repeated this work in the laboratory and under controlled circumstances so we could know exactly what would happen. This was in 2002. So we tested 24 copper alloys and they were all effective in killing the selected bacteria, E.coli 0157:H7. That was the beginning of this project.

Craig Thompson, Copper Development Association

Project Manager & Architectural Applications Specialist

 Craig Thompson is an Illinois-registered architect.  He holds a graduate degree in architecture and, in 1972, began working in construction on residential, commercial and retail projects.  He joined the CDA in 1992, working primarily with architects.  He provides them with information for working with copper, including design assistance and help locating products and installers.

 I think I’m in a good position to assist architects in using copper for their projects, and that’s part of my job.  I have a lot of knowledge, and I enjoy sharing anything and everything I can. 

But one of the most exciting new developments concerning copper in architecture is in healthcare.  CDA is waiting to share with architects the results of the clinical trials, now underway, that compare the bio-load of standard hospital ICU rooms to “copperized” rooms.  Because the antimicrobial property of copper is a relatively new concept to the industry and we just recently got EPA approval, a lot of the products haven’t been mass-produced yet.  In other words, they’re not in catalogs for architects and builders working on healthcare facilities to call for.  And frankly, there will be lag time between when the architects are ready to go and when there’s general availability.  It’s kind of a “chicken and egg” situation.  The folks who make them won’t make a lot if they don’t think they can sell them. But if architects ask for them, they’ll make them.  And that’s coming.  The CDA has member companies that are taking a proactive approach and getting things ready to be marketed as antimicrobial. 

If there’s a down side, it’s the initial cost, which may be higher than standard materials.  But when you look at the big picture, copper is a money-saver.  It’s low-maintenance and won’t have to be replaced often.  It’s also sustainable, because copper and its alloys are easily recycled, and in fact are recycled all the time.  So hopefully soon, copper alloy IV poles, countertops, bedrails, work surfaces and plumbing fixtures will all be mass-produced and widely available. 

And how about public buildings and schools?  Germs are spread there, too.  Imagine the possibilities!

Jim Michel, Copper Development Association

Manager, Technical Services

Jim Michel is a metallurgist who received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri – Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology) and his master’s in metallurgical engineering from Ohio State University.  He joined the CDA in 2007.  He works with the Technical Services Group, registering new copper alloys, answering technical questions and sharing information across a range of subject areas.

Here’s an example of how social change drives technology.  There’s a movement across the United States to reduce the possibility of lead contamination in drinking water.  For example, the state of California has enacted low-lead requirements that take effect January 1, 2010 for plumbing fittings and fixtures.  Vermont has adopted a similar regulation.  So companies that manufacture faucets, valves, water meters and other plumbing components want to use new copper alloys for their products.

In order to maintain quality and consistency, each of these new alloys has to be registered with the CDA and given a five-digit UNS (Unified Numbering System) number.  That’s where we in the CDA’s Technical Services Group come in.  Companies proposing to manufacture and sell new copper alloys visit the CDA Web site and fill out a form for review by the Technical Services Advisory Committee.  The most important information in registering a new alloy is providing the chemical composition.  Other properties, like the physical, mechanical and electrical properties, are also important but the primary focus of the committee is chemical composition.  The committee meets in June and December to evaluate proposals and issue the UNS numbers.  All UNS numbers pertaining to copper have the prefix “C” before the digits. 

With faucets and other water-handling pieces of equipment, the plumbing industry is one of the most affected by these new requirements.  Many of our colleagues there worked diligently to have new products with the lower lead compositions into the marketplace on or before Jan 1, 2009.  So they were a full year to a year-and-a-half ahead of time in being responsive to this law.  

But the alloy registration requests continue to come in.  On average the committee has a handful of proposals to review.  But because of this movement to reduce lead exposure, there have been a lot of applications lately, 14 or 15 in June of 2009 alone.  And I expect we’ll continue to have large numbers of proposals coming through for some time.  So you see, when a social change like this movement to reduce the possibility lead exposure occurs, it creates a huge ripple effect as companies develop new technology to help meet the needs of society.

To see the various categories of alloys, visit the Resources section of the CDA Web site.

By Ruth Danzeisen, PhD, DABT

Hemocyanin
All humans need iron for healthy red blood cells. It is an integral part of hemoglobin, and carries oxygen around our bodies, literally helping our organs and muscles to “breathe”.

Other species, however, use a different metal for this job. Crustaceans, which include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp, use copper to bind and transport oxygen. Their “hemoglobin” is called hemocyanin, and their blood is not red, but greenish in color.

Your favorite crustaceans are not the only ones who use copper as an oxygen carrier; so does that famous extraterrestrial, Mr. Spock. Being half-Human and half-Vulcan, the USS Enterprise’s first officer uses both hemoglobin (the iron carrier) and hemocyanin (the copper carrier) to breathe, and like earth’s crustaceans, he has green blood.

Remember, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences recommends that we humans get at least 1 mg of copper per day, by eating seafood, legumes, nuts, or chocolate.

Live long and prosper!

By Ruth Danzeisen, PhD, DABT

The healthy trio: iron, zinc, and copper
Everyone knows about the need to get enough iron and zinc in their diet. In fact, many people take zinc supplements when they want to boost their immune systems. What most people don’t know, however, is that copper is equally important for health and the immune system, and that too much zinc can make it difficult for the body to obtain enough copper.

Copper is needed for the formation of blood cells and for neurological health. People who overdose on zinc supplements for many years can develop anemia and neurological symptoms, such as gait abnormalities. Usually, these symptoms are reversible with a proper balance of zinc and copper.

For optimal health with regard to the essential trio of iron, zinc, and copper, we should follow the U.S. National Academy of Sciences guideline: Anyone (in any age group) who takes an iron supplement of 30 mg or more per day should, under the supervision of a physician, balance it with about 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper. Moreover, pregnant women should consult with their physicians to ensure that their prenatal supplements contain the proper balance of iron, zinc, and copper.

Copper.org has further reading on copper in human health.

Ruth Danzeisen, Phd, DABT, is a toxicologist and microbiologist, and the assistant program director of the Health and Health Environment Program of the International Copper Association.

By Ruth Danzeisen, PhD, DABT

Most people know that copper “runs our lives” by conducting electricity and heat. But did you know that copper occurs naturally in our bodies as a life-sustaining essential nutrient?

Every body needs copper for blood vessel formation for a healthy heart, for stabilizing the connective tissue, which binds one part of the body to another, and for healthy bones and teeth. Copper is also needed for brain development and for effective communication between nerve cells in the brain.

In fact, copper is so important to our health that the absence of it can cause death. This is the case in a rare genetic disorder called Menkes disease: Menkes patients cannot absorb copper from food into their bodies, and sadly they die before they reach toddler age. There is no treatment for Menkes disease at this time, and research is underway to find a way to supply copper to these patients effectively.

Most people, however, can absorb copper, which is plentiful in a variety of the foods we eat every day, such as shellfish, nuts, legumes, mushrooms, barley, cooked tomato products, liver, and even chocolate.

Copper.org has further reading on copper in human health.

Ruth Danzeisen, Phd, DABT, is a toxicologist and microbiologist, and the assistant program director of the Health and Health Environment Program of the International Copper Association.