Colds and Flu: the Self-sterilizing Effects of Copper and Copper-alloy

Prevent Colds and Flu

Cold and Flu season is here again. Frequent hand-washing and sanitizing of hands and contact surfaces are important this time of year. This is especially true if there are children in the home or is there is or recently was an incident of cold or flu sickness in the home. Some viruses can survive on open surfaces for up to 48 hours depending upon type or variety. It is generally believed that viruses and bacteria will survive longer on a non-porous surface like glass, wood or plastic and countertop surfaces than porous materials like paper or cloth due to the wicking effect which dries-out pathogen and kills it. Kitchen countertops have a particular reputation for harboring bad viruses and bacteria. A study was conducted and revealed a shocking finding; women whom carry purses often bring them into public restrooms such as in the workplace, etc., and briefly lay their purse on the floor of the facility where it picks-up germs on contact. This same purse if set upon the kitchen countertop later that evening even if for just a few seconds, has effectively provided cross-contamination of all the strains of bacteria and viruses from the restroom floor! The countertop is now quite viral! The same place where foodstuffs are placed and prepared.

Sneeze Into Your Sleeve

The viruses and bacteria will eventually desiccate and perish with no intervention on our part; their cell walls will dry-out and burst. While the viruses that cause colds and flu are primarily spread through direct person-to-person contact (a handshake, kiss, cough or sneeze etc.,) it is believed that indirect contact with items used by the sick poses a quantitative risk that can be reduced significantly with frequent hand-washing and/or with use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel between hand-washings.

And the saying goes, sneeze into your sleeve. Yes, -if you must cough or sneeze and no tissue is handy, don’t do it into your open hand. You can spread the germs with a touch of that same hand. But a sneeze into your sleeve keeps your hands ‘cleaner’ and, -remember that viruses and bacteria don’t survive as long on porous materials like cloth. -The fibers of the fabric will ‘dry out’ and cause the pathogens to perish, benefiting everyone including yourself.

Prime Vectors: Contagious Tissues and Drinking Glass

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Some household surfaces simply cannot be made from copper for practicality reasons; the telephone, your computer keyboard and one of the worst offender of course, the TV remote. These are the MOST virus and bacteria-infected surfaces in your home so be sure to clean these regularly with disinfectant. A moist washcloth or paper towel moistened with disinfectant and wrung out can be used to wipe these items. Frequent sanitizing can help reduce the risk. Disinfecting towelettes for this purpose are commercially available as well, and are quite effective on contact surfaces. But what if surfaces could be ‘self-sterilizing’ even if just a little bit? Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing? Perhaps there is such a surface, and it is one that already exists.

Effects of Uncoated Copper Surfaces on Germs

Some studies that were conducted at the University of Southhampton, U.K., are showing that copper surfaces and alloys of copper such as brass and bronze with high copper content can eliminate illness-causing viruses and bacteria. These surfaces are, in effect, self sterilizing.

Surfaces such as glass or stainless steel doorknobs for instance, have no self-sterilizing effect upon viruses or bacteria that gets cross-contaminated from sick patients. The same is also true with plastic, stainless steel, aluminum and other countertop materials. Once contaminated, the surface remains contaminated until cleaned with disinfectant. But copper and copper-alloyed surfaces seem to eliminate germs such as Influenza-A, streptococcus and staphylococcus and far faster than just natural desiccation. Perhaps this can even provide some protection against potential health epidemics such as Swine Flu, SARS and other outbreaks. This only applies to ‘uncoated’ copper and similarly uncoated copper-alloyed surfaces. If the copper material is coated in shellac, plastic laminate, waxes or other such finish protectant, the disinfecting ability is not present. The copper must have intimate contact with the virus for this effect to work.

Wash Your Hands Often

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Perhaps copper and copper-alloyed surfaces would be good for clinics and drop-in centers to use for their doorknobs and desk drawers, etc. Anywhere that sick patients are frequently found would especially benefit. It is recommended that you wash your hands with soapy warm water for at least 20-30 seconds, rinse and dry. Using the hand-towel to shut-off the water as touching the hot/cold water faucets could re-introduce the bacteria and viruses to your hands again. Hand-washing at least once every hour is advised if you work with or frequent places with high volumes of people (office, public sector, etc.) An alcohol-based hand-sanitizer is always a good thing to carry on your person.

Nosocomial infections are a real danger when going in to visit your doctor or dentist. You are put you are risk to share whatever any other sick patient whom has also been there, up to two days previously, has got. Grocery stores could use copper handles on their shopping carts instead of those nasty plastic ones OMG! -Those are the WORST places to find viruses and bacteria, -think of all those people with colds and flu shopping and pushing a shopping cart around the store, wiping their noses with their hand and returning them to the shopping cart handle! Copper doorknobs, handles and push bars, hand rails on buses and train stations come to mind. Unless sanitized with an ammonium solution, any previous disinfected surface is ready to be re-infected within minutes or hours. Surely, sooner than the next scheduled disinfection/cleaning. Quat ammonium solutions provide a lasting effect, for hours after having been treated. Most other disinfectant wipes and solutions don’t provide this coverage and become vulnerable again, quickly.

Also, countertops refrigerator door handles and all bathroom fixtures if they were made of uncoated copper would be a cheap and effective panacea to help prevent the spread of colds and flu in the home. I suppose that the downside of copper fixtures in a moist environment like bathrooms would be oxidation; the fixtures would develop a patina fairly quickly. But there, brass or bronze (both with high copper content) would be used. –One would get the benefits with less of the drawbacks of oxidation. Maybe not as effective as NAV-CO2, but every precaution would be useful and this seems to be a very good, passive defense.

Brass Doorknob Kills Germs

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The ancients seemed to realize some benefit to copper, Hippocrates is said to have used copper to treat skin irritations and other minor wounds. The Egyptians used copper containers to make drinking water safe and even the Aztecs realized it had some beneficial effect on sore throats. As many municipalities and contractors are moving away from using copper pipes to conduct water to residences in favor of cheaper, supposedly safer PVC water pipes, we are losing this natural disease preventative. The biggest cited risk to use of copper pipes is the lead-based solder used to join the fittings, but the risk is low and the actual contact between the potable water and solder contact is very low. Any leach lead in the piping joints and unions would be swept clear in short order and the copper pipes would provide many years of safe, healthful service.