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To: blueplum; IndispensableDestiny; Karl Spooner

There are a couple of issues with copper. First not all coppers have antimicrobial properties. Pure copper is a soft metal and likely would not hold up well in a hospital setting as opposed to a residential kitchen. It also forms a patina which in addition to dents and scratches over time, may overtime reduce its effectiveness as to its antimicrobial properties. It also requires special cleaning and I do not believe you can use bleach or other similar cleaners used in a hospital setting. Additionally, it is one of the most expensive materials for countertops.

https://homereference.net/copper-countertops-pros-cons/


186 posted on 02/15/2020 5:48:28 AM PST by MD Expat in PA (No. I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV. The MD in my screen name stands for Maryland)
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To: MD Expat in PA
You just use an alloys to harder it. Bronze and brass has solved that problem for you thousands of years ago and are already commonly used in door hardware with excellent results, while maintaining it copper like effectiveness against microbes.

"The surfaces of copper and its alloys, such as brass and bronze, are antimicrobial. They have an inherent ability to kill a wide range of harmful microbes relatively rapidly – often within two hours or less – and with a high degree of efficiency." - wiki

208 posted on 02/15/2020 8:20:28 AM PST by Karl Spooner
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To: MD Expat in PA
Pure copper is a soft metal and likely would not hold up well in a hospital setting<

"But those measures require actions by human beings — which is not the case with copper.

“It’s always working, it requires no human intervention, no supervision, and it’s acting continuously,” said Michael Schmidt, a microbiology professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and one of the researchers who conducted the first and largest study of copper surfaces in hospitals.

“If you looked at my cabinet pulls, they look like **stainless steel, but we still get copper’s killing properties,” he said. “We’re still continuing to clean everything we can. But this is our little helper behind the scenes."

**(I believe it is a nickel-copper alloy that would have similar appearance as stainless steel.)

"A typical U.S. hospital room contains about $100,000 of goods and equipment, experts say. The average cost to outfit a hospital room with antimicrobial copper items is about $5,000, Linden said. But one infection adds $43,000 in patient costs, according to federal data."

Full article

217 posted on 02/15/2020 10:50:58 AM PST by Karl Spooner
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To: MD Expat in PA

I dunno about special cleaning but I use salt and vinegar to clean my copper-bottomed pans - both antimicrobial and both nontoxic and the pans are over 30 years old. Expense shouldn’t be an issue in hospitals, either. My DH’s recent non-fatal heart attack/stenting ran $100K, not including doctors. (thanks to medicare out of pocket about $1100, not including doctors)


263 posted on 02/15/2020 2:12:26 PM PST by blueplum ( ("...this moment is your moment: it belongs to you... " President Donald J. Trump, Jan 20, 2017))
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