Public Transport
Every morning, in rush hour, over 1 million commuters use public transport in central London alone. Antimicrobial Copper continuously kills microbes on mass transit touch surfaces.
Mass transit touch surfaces are optimal reservoirs for
infectious microbes. Close quarters and crowded conditions
make the spread of bacteria all too easy for billions of commuters
worldwide.
In addition to the impact on public health and safety,
contaminated mass transit surfaces may affect productivity and
attendance. Community outbreaks of infections and illnesses can be
amplified by rapid transfer fuelled by ideal conditions in public
transportation leading to absenteeism and decreased passenger
numbers.
In Mexico City, government officials threatened to shut down all
public transportation in response to an outbreak of the H1N1
virus.
According to the US Dept of Transportation: "A severe pandemic
flu may cause extended absences for essential workers… During a
severe pandemic influenza, workforce absenteeism may range from 25
to 40 percent."
Typical subway and bus grab rails made of stainless steel appear
clean, but harmful organisms can survive on stainless steel for
months[1]. Antimicrobial Copper kills 99.9% of deadly
bacteria* within 2 hours of exposure.
Antimicrobial Copper grab rails and other touch surfaces provide
commuters with an added line of defence against infectious microbes
that thrive in mass transit environments.
[1] How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on
inanimate surfaces? A systematic Review. BMC Infectious
Diseases 6:130. Kramer et al. 2006.
*Peer reviewed scientific publications show Antimicrobial Copper
to be effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi and moulds,
including MRSA, Influenza A (H1N1), Clostridium difficile
and VRE.
Antimicrobial Copper is the only touch surface material to have
efficacy data independently verified through the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) registration which supports the claim to
continuously kill more than 99.9% of the bacteria that cause HCAIs
within two hours of contact. Organisms tested are MRSA,
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli O157:H7 and
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis.
Further work[1] has demonstrated that Antimicrobial
Copper outperforms two commercially available silver-containing
coatings under typical indoor conditions.
A study[2] on a busy medical ward at Selly Oak Hospital
showed a 90-100% reduction in contamination on Antimicrobial Copper
surfaces compared to surfaces made of conventional materials.
Trials in the US and Chile confirm these results. Antimicrobial
Copper surfaces are a supplement to, and not a substitute for,
standard infection control practices and have been shown to reduce
microbial contamination.
[1] Effects of temperature and humidity on the
efficacy of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
challenged antimicrobial materials containing silver and
copper. H T Michels, J O Noyce and C W Keevil, Letters in
Applied Microbiology, 49 (2009) 191-195.
[2]
Role of copper in reducing hospital environment contamination.
A L Casey, D Adams, T J Karpanen, P A Lambert, B D Cookson, P
Nightingale, L Miruszenko, R Shillam, P Christian and T S J
Elliott, J Hosp Infect (2009).