U.S. EPA Approves Registration of Antimicrobial Cop...( Copper brass and bronze kill p...),Health

Copper, brass and bronze kill pathogens - including 'superbug'

MRSA-responsible for hospital- and community-acquired infections

NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the registration of antimicrobial copper alloys, with public health claims. These public health claims acknowledge that copper, brass and bronze are capable of killing harmful, potentially deadly bacteria. Copper is the first solid surface material to receive this type of EPA registration, which is supported by extensive antimicrobial efficacy testing.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080325/NYTU054 )

The EPA registration is based on independent laboratory testing using EPA-prescribed protocols that demonstrate the metals' ability to kill specific disease-causing bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is one of the most virulent strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and a common cause of hospital- and community-acquired infections.

Testing under EPA-approved protocols demonstrates that copper, brasses and bronzes are effective against a number of disease-causing bacteria. For example, one study shows that on copper alloy surfaces, greater than 99.9% of MRSA "superbugs" are killed within two hours at room temperature.

The following statements are included in the registration: "When cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper alloys surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of (specific) bacteria within two hours, and continue to kill more than 99% of (these) bacteria even after repeated contamination," and, "The use of a copper alloy surface is a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices; users must continue to follow all current infection control practices, including those practices related to cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfac
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