Copper Alloys May Be Allies in Fight Against Germs
The use of copper in cooking and hygienic purposes has been prevalent since the early Roman Empire. Learned people during that era have observed that compared to other metal materials, copper makes water safer to drink and there is lesser incidence of disease transmission when copper cooking utensils are used. When microscopes were discovered and more information was gathered on how microorganisms spread and infect people, it was discovered and proven that copper indeed have antimicrobial properties.
Using microscopes designed for metals, copper has been examined and analyzed with the use of metallurgical microscopes. Using metallurgical microscopes, the physical properties of copper can be examined and compared to other metals. Metallurgical microscopes are great tools for people studying metals.
Is copper only limited to cooking utensils and water pipelines? According to the original article, the wide use of copper alloys include oral hygiene products, antiseptics, hygienic medical devices, antimicrobial medicines, antifouling paints, pesticides, fungicides and many more helpful applications. The use of copper alloys has indeed developed.
The original article describes and narrates the most current findings in the laboratory that proves the inherent properties of copper in reducing and inactivating pathogenic microorganisms. All of the findings cited in the article came from laboratory studies that were made in the past several years. The results do not include study findings on in-service plumbing applications. How could these facts help us? The study findings can be used to develop more future applications of copper that would benefit the general population’s health.
The article lists the following pathogens and microbes that copper can inactivate. This would include pathogens like L. pneumophila that causes Legionnaire’s disease, Methicillin-resisant S. aureus (MRSA) which is a superbug in health institutions, E. coli O157:H7 a deadly water-borne bacterium that cause severe and debilitating diseases, mycobacterium that causes nosocomila infections, and Listeria monocytogenes a common pathogen that is spread through food handling.
A study finding was also described in the original article that compares the antimicrobial properties of copper, aluminum, steel, plastics, and other building materials. In early studies, copper and copper surfaces inhibit pathogenic microorganisms while the other materials do not. Another similar study was conducted that mimic potable water supply. In this study, the authors have found out that a range of plastic and metal materials have generated biofilms of high species diversity repeatedly for several months. The pathogenic bacterium L. pneumophila has colonized commonly used cold/warm potable water supply systems materials like stainless steel, UPVC, CPVC, PVC, latex, ethylene-propylene copolymer, etc.
It was evident on the tables and findings found in the original article that copper and its alloys are effective in preventing spread, transmission, and inactivation of deadly pathogenic microorganisms. The article also mentioned that an organization called the Copper Development Association is working on further studies on the antimicrobial properties of copper and its alloys. The organization has also made an effort to engage manufacturers, architects, disease control personnel and other interested parties in its research and development for future products and tools that can be made from copper and its alloys.Continue research on this page
