Change in Medicare and Medicaid Legislation Creates Market for Antimicrobial Coatings I...( - Kline Report on Smart Coatings...)

- Kline Report on Smart Coatings Cites Immediate Opportunities in

Antimicrobial Coatings, Cool Paint, and Smart Glass -

LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent announcement by Medicare and Medicaid that they will no longer reimburse expenses related to most hospital-acquired infections has created opportunity for companies in the paint and coatings industries to sell antimicrobial coatings, according to analysts at Kline, a worldwide consulting and research firm.

Coatings added to paint that kill molds and/or bacteria are clearly advantageous for use in hospitals, locker rooms, schools, and other public areas. "About 5 to 10 percent of patients get an infection while they are in the hospital, at an average extra cost of $15,000 per patient," says Nancy Mills, FlashPoint project manager. "Antimicrobial smart coatings on floors and walls will not completely solve the problem, but they will go a long way toward reducing it."

Smart coatings -- coatings that respond to external stimuli in their environment -- are the focus of Smart Coatings and Smart Opportunities in Antimicrobial, Automotive, and Construction Applications, a new FlashPoint report from Kline. Many smart coatings are complex integrations of traditional coatings with nanotechnology. Smart coatings cover numerous applications, but Kline's report focuses on three that are particularly interesting for companies along the coatings and pigments value chain: antimicrobial coatings, cool paint, and smart glass.

Whereas demand for antimicrobial smart coatings is growing along with awareness of the problem, legislation may drive the market for cool paint for automobiles. On hot days, cool paint reflects more heat so a car's air conditioning system use less energy for cooling, resulting in lower fuel consumption and lower emissions. Cool paint is likely to be mandated for use in new cars in California by 2010, and the low cost of using cool paint on new ve
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