Copper kills. And when it comes to microbes, that’s a good thing.
Copper eliminates bacteria through ions that damage bacterial cells. When bacteria and copper ions come into contact, the copper ions weaken the outer membrane of the bacteria cell through the process of oxidation. Copper is toxic to the inside of the cell and, eventually, the copper ions cause the cell to rupture. The cell then loses its vital structure and dies.
This has led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to register copper as a public-health antimicrobial product because of its proven ability to kill bacteria. A Fast Company article details some of the material’s centuries-old history, and asks why more surfaces aren’t covered with it.
Cupron Inc., based in Richmond, Virginia, has for more than a decade been formulating and supplying a patented powdered copper technology that is finding use in a variety of applications that help to kill bacteria –– from solid-surface countertops to bed linens, face masks and other textiles.
Clinton, Tennessee-based materials design firm Techmer PM LLC produces the polymer compound infused with Cupron’s oxidized copper that Norfolk, Virginia-based EOS Surfaces LLC exclusively uses to make tables, sinks and countertops that are shown to be effective in killing bacteria and dramatically reducing the transmission of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) such as staph. As a result, the materials have found widespread use in a variety of health care clinics and facilities.
Now, Cupron is testing to confirm its copper additives can also help to prevent the COVID-19 coronavirus from spreading.
EOS Surfaces believes that it does. A blog post on its website references a study in the New England Journal of Medicine based on research by the National Institutes of Health, Princeton University and University of California-Los Angeles. The study tested the stability of the virus that causes COVID-19 in air and multiple surfaces. Copper fared the best for mitigating the spread of the virus.
Still, Cupron is approaching the topic cautiously. “Testing against this specific strain of coronavirus is challenging at this time for a variety of reasons,” the company said April 3. It indicated it was not in a position to comment on this specifically right now, but noted that “copper has been shown to be effective against a variety of viruses in the corona family.”
Safer solid surfaces
EOS Surfaces has been using the copper-infused material –– which it calls EOSCU Preventive|Biocidal Surface™ –– for about a decade to create hard surfaces designed to reduce the transmission of HAIs, which otherwise kill thousands of patients every year in the U.S. alone.
The copper ions embedded in the resin attack the bacteria and viruses, and act continuously, meaning the effective surface properties don’t “wear out” over time, according to EOS Surfaces CEO Ken Trinder. “It’s self-sanitizing, self-cleaning, and it doesn’t need any human intervention,” he is quoted as saying in a March 17 news story on the website of Norfolk TV station WAVY.com.
Techmer PM Product Development Manager Kaan Serpersu says his firm has been working with Cupron since 2010. “Techmer formulates a compound or masterbatch with Cupron’s additive to achieve proper dispersion, color control and processing stability for the desired end-use for moldings, fibers or films in a wide range of different polymers.”
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Bacteria‐killing textiles
These copper-infused, bacteria-killing, odor-reducing formulations also are finding wide use in textiles and fabrics, such as in diapers, socks, bed linens and even in the chinstraps for NFL football helmets. The product even was used to make socks provided to the 33 miners in Chile who were trapped underground for 69 days in October 2010 before being successfully rescued. The socks were designed to reduce the possibility of the miners contracting fungal foot infections.
When it comes to textiles, Cupron’s active ingredient is permanently embedded into the fibers during manufacturing. “It does not wash off or rub off like a coating, thereby imparting durable, long-lasting performance,” Cupron chief financial officer John Cudzik explained in a recent email interview.
“We believe coatings or additives are not appropriate for use in health care,” he added, “and the fact that our fabrics have a distinct color give our customers comfort that they know which items have copper and which do not.”
Cupron said its technology is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and has been tested against many bacteria, viruses and fungi. In a research study, the company notes, Cupron technology in disposable masks demonstrated 99.99% (a 4-log reduction) against H1N1 and H9N2 viruses in 30 minutes.
Making many, many masks
“We are currently producing tens of thousands of reusable fabric face masks per week,” Cudzik said. “Guidance has rapidly changed, and the widespread use of masks is now recommended. N95s and surgical masks should be preserved for use by those in direct patient care, and our intent is that our reusable masks can free up those critical supplies for the clinicians who need them most.”
For use in masks, the base resin is polypropylene, and Techmer also has used nylon as a base resin for use in other types of products. Serpersu notes that it takes real expertise to ensure one can hit the color match for the solid surfaces since copper is a natural, reddish material that varies from batch to batch.
Tested in hospitals
Beginning back in 2014, EOS Surfaces reports that it and Cupron joined with Sentara Healthcare to evaluate the clinical and economic effectiveness of installing EOSTM Preventive|Biocidal surfaces and antimicrobial textiles in a range of health care environments. Those positive results enabled EOS to get certified as a bacteria killer from the Environmental Protection Agency.
EOS’ Trinder said in his TV interview that the National Institutes of Health is testing copper and other materials against the novel coronavirus. He said he is confident that his firm’s EOSCU material “can eradicate COVID-19 in four hours or less.” He sees EOS surfaces spreading into other sectors known for places where people can catch viruses and bacteria, such as the cruise line industry, aviation, mass transit and hospitality.
For its part, Cudzik says that Cupron’s strategic focus is medical textiles and adjacent health care applications, but notes that the company has applications in other spaces, as well, such as industrial irrigation and consumer apparel.
And interest in their copper technology has never been higher. “We have been fielding an unprecedented level of inbound calls and emails,” Cudzik noted. “Demand is up as several new hospitals have switched from regular linens to our copper linens, and we were asked to provide reusable copper face masks to several hospital systems.” He said that Cupron was already adding staff before the pandemic, and will continue to do so this year.
“Cupron worked with other suppliers before,” Serpersu noted, “but only Techmer was able to make the technology work properly.” That has led to a decadelong partnership that today is playing a more vital role than perhaps anyone could have imagined.
References
Cupron Inc.: www.cupron.com
EOS Surfaces: www.eoscu.com
Techmer PM LLC: www.techmerpm.com
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This is fascinating! I am thinking these can be used for gloves, baby wipes, kitchen wipes and female sanitary towels to name a few?