Other touch surfaces say they are antimicrobial – only we can prove it.

Stainless steel may look clean, but deadly bacteria that threaten patient safety can thrive on this material for weeks or even months.

Click on graph to enlarge

Antimicrobial Copper is the only touch surface registered by the EPA to continuously kill greater than 99.9% of bacteria* that cause hospital acquired infections and degrade hygiene in hospitals.

Silver-containing coatings claim to be effective, but in fact, no silver-containing coating has ever been registered by the EPA with public health claims, as they rely on a treated article exemption to make marketing claims.  No scientific data on antimicrobial efficacy is required to obtain this registration from the EPA.

Silver-coatings cannot legally make infection reduction claims or claim to improve the safety of patients.

Extensive EPA laboratory testing is required to make public health claims.

Antimicrobial Copper has passed all EPA testing protocol, is registered by the EPA to make public health claims, and can help battle infection control in healthcare environments.

Efficacy against additional organisms, such as Clostridium difficile and Influenza A, is being examined, but such claims have not been approved by EPA.  For clarification, please see the Publications section.

Antimicrobial Copper's efficacy against the 6 registered bacteria is summarized below.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Antimicrobial Copper provides supplemental defense against MRSA. Copper is an excellent material for frequently touched surfaces because of its ability to kill MRSA in between regular cleanings. The graph below illustrates the survival of MRSA on Antimicrobial Copper, stainless steel, and two silver-containing coatings. Within two hours, the number of live MRSA colony forming units is reduced by 99.9% on Antimicrobial Copper. Almost no reduction is observed on stainless steel and both silver-containing coatings after six hours.

Figure 1. MRSA Viability on Antimicrobial Copper, Stainless Steel, and two silver-containing coatings at 20C. Click on graph to enlarge

Staphylococcus aureus

Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus are commonly found in healthcare settings, but are also present in fitness facilities, schools and assisted living facilities.  Antimicrobial Copper kills 99.9% of this bacterium within two hours in between routine cleanings and touches.  The chart below shows the effectiveness of an Antimicrobial Copper surface. Click on graph to enlarge

Escherichia coli O157:H7

Antimicrobial Copper kills 99.9% of E. coli O157:H7 within two hours adding an additional level of protection to good hygienic practices. The chart below demonstrates that Antimicrobial Copper kills E. coli O157:H7 while stainless steel, plastic, and even a silver-containing coating have virtually no effect after six hours.

Figure 2. Viability of E. coli O157:H7 on Plastic, Antimicrobial Copper, Stainless Steel, and Stainless Steel with a Silver-Containing Coating - Click on graph to enlarge

Enterobacter aerogenes

The graph below shows Antimicrobial Copper's intrinsic ability to kill this resilient bacterium. Within two hours, more than 99.9% of Enterobacter aerogenes colony forming units is killed on copper and brass, two Antimicrobial Copper alloys, while very little reduction is observed on the stainless steel.

Figure 3. Viability of Enterobacter aerogenes on Touch Surface Materials - Click on graph to enlarge

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Antimicrobial Copper surfaces effectively kill this pathogen while other surface materials are relatively inert. U.S. EPA tests confirmed that 357 Antimicrobial Copper alloys kill 99.9% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa within two hours under 3 test protocols.

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that VRE is responsible for 4% of Healthcare-Associated Infections.  VRE is resistant to several antibiotics and is easily spread by touch throughout the healthcare environment.  Antimicrobial Copper surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of VRE within two hours of exposure providing added protection against this resilient organism.