the cost of copper surfaces is insignificant relative to cost of infections. It ought to have become standard long ago. Worker safety would seem to mandate copper surfaces. I wonder if hospital are subject to ordinary worker safety regulations or only to health regulations.
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Brass is about as good. One thing about modern brass doorknobs and such, though, is that they are usually coated with a thin clearcoat to stop them from tarnishing, which of course kills their antimicrobial properties.
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Replying to @NYarvin @ClimateAudit and
And then there's "brass" which is actually a thin coat of vapor deposited zirconium nitride. Looks exactly like brass, but doesn't tarnish and isn't antimicrobial.
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Replying to @NYarvin @ClimateAudit and
Both with brass and copper, the biggest cost for a hospital is probably the time spent cleaning them (as in Brasso). Still likely worth it.
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Brasso (or any polish/cleaner that leaves a wax or film on the surface) is not recommended for antimicrobial applications, as the wax/film inhibits the contact of microbes with the copper material
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Replying to @sors_tertia @NYarvin and
Many of the standard clinical cleaning agents are compatible with copper alloys. Oxidation of these alloys does not inhibit their antimicrobial efficacy, studies show.
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One set of numbers that I saw showed copper and copper(1) on par, and copper(2) substantially worse but still somewhat effective. That was just one study, though. Anyway, when brass gets green, hospitals are going to want to polish it, even if only to keep up appearances.
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Happy to read further references on this. Am using my phone, out of office, so my reference library not to hand. Brass is most likely to darken in indoor use. If green, something odd has been in contact with it. Regular handling keeps items bright, like this unlacquered pen.pic.twitter.com/MA9U5XIRdW
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I'm not sure which paper I read that in, and would have a hard time finding it again. It seems more appropriate to defer to your knowledge here.
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Sorry if I came across wrongly there. I'm genuinely keen to hear of all developments, to stay updated in this topic. References make it much easier to analyse excerpts :)
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No offense taken. It just really would be hard for me to find that reference again; sometimes I save them, but not here, and in any case I haven't even tried to do a thorough job of surveying the literature, and am happy to listen to someone who has.
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