E. coli meets its match.
E. coli O157:H7 causes roughly 70,000 infections annually in the U.S. Contaminated surfaces in food and hospitality facilities contribute to this. Antimicrobial Copper kills 99.9% of E.coli O157:H7 within 2 hours of exposure.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
estimates that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million
illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United
States each year resulting in significant healthcare costs.
Bacteria on surfaces in food and hospitality facilities are part of
the problem. Harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 can
easily be transferred in these environments.
Although Antimicrobial Copper is not registered by the EPA for
use in direct contact with food, non-food contact touch surfaces in
work stations and door hardware can be upgraded to aid in the fight
against bacteria* in food and hospitality applications.
* Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly,
Antimicrobial Copper™ kills greater than 99.9% of the following
bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA,
Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcus faecalis (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;
users must continue to follow all current infection control
practices. Michels et al, Lett Appl Microbiol,
49 (2009) 191-195 demonstrated that Antimicrobial Copper™
outperforms two commercially available silver-containing coatings
under typical indoor conditions.