One of Brazil's busiest airports is leading the way in
improving hygiene in public spaces with a new installation of
antimicrobial copper touch surfaces, including handrails and
counters.
February 6th, 2012
The installation of Antimicrobial Copper components will reduce the bacteria* that reside on commonly touched surfaces. Antimicrobial Copper continuously reduces bacterial* contamination, achieving 99.9% reduction within 2 hours of exposure. This property is inherent to both copper and alloys which contain at least 60% copper by weight, such as brasses, bronzes and copper-nickels. Antimicrobial Copper's efficacy has been proven extensively, leading to its installation in hospitals around the world, and now its applications are being explored more widely.
In December 2011, new parking areas were opened at Congonhas Airport, handling around 4,000 vehicles and 10,000 people every day. The opportunity to upgrade handrails, counter tops and elevator guardrails to Antimicrobial Copper was seized by the airport. For more information about copper's antimicrobial properties, please click here.
As of recent months, manufacturers have completed all EPA requirements to legally sell Antimicrobial Products in the US. To view a list of these companies, please click here.
*Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, Antimicrobial Copper surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus 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.