Copper says “RIP to COVID-19”

Copper says “RIP to COVID-19”

With the confirmed cases of the COVID 19 pandemic rising scientists are searching for ways to prevent the virus from spreading including through surfaces. 

Recent studies have shown that the virus lasted the least on copper for up to four hours, whereas it lasted up to two to three days on plastic. Copper against viruses a study conducted five years ago on a different strain of coronavirus.  The human coronavirus 229 E which causes respiratory tract infections could still infect human lung cells after five days of existing on different materials like Teflon, ceramic glass, silicone rubber, and stainless steel wheel on copper alloys the coronavirus was rapidly inactivated. Media reports and public inquiries to the Copper Development Association Inc. And have noted several independent studies reporting antimicrobial efficacy of uncoated copper and copper alloy surfaces against human pathogens, including one strain of corona Virushuko V 229. 

Government agencies warn by widespread media coverage at the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that the SARS Cov2 virus which causes the disease COVID 19 remained viable for up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel surfaces versus up to four hours on copper. Another study proved that bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are rapidly killed on metallic copper surfaces and the term contact killing has been coined for this process. While the phenomenon was already known in ancient times it is currently receiving renewed attention due to the potential use of copper as an antibacterial material in health care settings. Many studies have proved that drinking water from copper bottles can aid died because of its power to kill infectious bacteria. It is also said to help in weight reduction because of copper's ability to break down fat. The antioxidants present in copper are also great for your skin and reduces aging. When it comes to cooking in copper vessels it has been proven that it conducts heat 20 times better than steel. Making your food evenly heated and cooked feeding in copper vessels has also been recommended due to their antimicrobial properties. Harmful microorganisms and other bacteria cannot survive on copper and therefore prevents the transmission of germs from food. All antimicrobial products marketed and sold in the US are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure the products are safe to use and that advertising claims about protecting Public Health and efficacy against specific pathogens are supported by rigorous testing under EPA approved protocols.

COVID-19 the outbreak is the worst public health crisis for a generation many have died in hospital. India carries on a growing number of patients at the moment within a week, causing an emergency unlike anything experienced in most of our lifetimes. This pandemic has left experts scratching their heads wondering what could have been done differently to have mitigated this catastrophe. The answer is as simple as replacing surfaces with a common metal since copper is a naturally occurring metal. It's been used by man since the early days of humanity for objects such as weapons, tools, and jewelry. In ancient Egypt, they used it to purify water as well as to sterilize battle wounds to prevent infection. Many societies have been brewing and drinking tea in copper appliances. People in India and Turkey have been proclaiming the health benefits of this for centuries. These examples are years before our scientific understanding of microbes had even been developed. But it's clear to see that people had been aware of its health benefits for a long time at the start of the 21st century. Professor Belk Evil the director of environmental health care units at Southampton University started to really probe what it was about copper that had made people throughout history recognize its healing potential.

Mechanism:

He found that the copper ions penetrate bacterial cells and inhibit their respiration. He also discovered that the ions attacked the DNA of the cell and destroyed it making gene transfer no longer possible. Speaking to healthcare in Europe, he said, “we know that copper kills viruses and destroys DNA, including plasmids so this should stop the transfer of DNA, which would include those toxic genes and also the transfer of antibody resistance from one species to another” so with the health benefits of copper known why don't we see it used more today. Well stainless steel and plastic surfaces are generally considered cleaner looking and so they have become readily adopted in hospitals to help patients feel that they were in sterile surroundings. This general misconception that silver is a better antimicrobial metal and while it's true that silver does have an antibacterial effect. It doesn't have this effect when the surface is dry, whereas copper works without the need for moisture. According to research conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine COVID-19 lives on copper surfaces for four hours while managing to survive on plastic and stainless steel for up to three days. However, antibacterial cleaning and hand washing are still very much needed, but having copper doorknobs and surfaces, especially in hospitals could help stop or slow down the transmission of germs and diseases. 

COVID-19 has already swept across the globe so it's too late to change our surfaces now, but sadly this won't be the last pandemic and perhaps the switch to copper can prepare us for the next one.