The ability to protect students, teachers, and administrators from unseen dangers contracted by touching surfaces contaminated by respiratory droplets from infected individuals is our highest concern. Utilizing antimicrobial copper door hardware in education is more effective than other commonly used touches touched surfaces at killing bacteria.
Bacteria are everywhere, and can survive on surfaces that people touch for months. Studies have shown that up to 80% of germs are transferred by touch, and thousands of people get sick each year as a result- even in places they think are safe Door handles in a school can be touched several thousand times per day. That is thousands of opportunities to transfer bacteria and infectious diseases. Each school year:
- 40% of kids miss at least 3 days due to some type of infection
- The common cold makes up 22 million lost school days
- 38 million school days are lost due to influenza
Many schools, school districts, colleges, and universities have taken measures to address this pressing concern of pathogen transmission in schools. Some of the proposed or implemented cleaning solutions specifically affecting doors, while well intended, miss the mark. Statistically there are numerous opportunities of not effectively sanitizing the door hardware. Whether it was inadvertently failure to sanitize the entire surface of the hardware or missing the door all together.
Antimicrobial Copper Door Hardware
Bactericidal Copper is NOT a finish or a COATING – It is a metal alloy that will never wear off. We have a strategic partnership with Trimco Hardware which offers a wide range of hardware options. Trimco’s Healthy Hardware™ products are manufactured with CuVerro® bactericidal copper alloys that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
CuVerro® copper surfaces kill bacteria and keep on killing it. Copper has been proven by EPA laboratory testing to kill 99.9% of bacteria within 2 hours of exposure. EPA tests also prove that copper continuously kills bacteria – even after repeated contamination.
Their Health Hardware™ products for both Retrofit and New Construction include:
- Push/Pull Plates
- Straight and Offset Pulls
- Ultimate Restroom Pulls
- Hospital Push/Pull Latch sets
- Flush Pulls
- Edge Guards
- ADA Pocket Door Pulls
- Push Bar Covers
- Full Length Door Pulls
- Push/Pull Bar Sets
- Mortise Levers and Escutcheons
- Grab Bars
- Surface Bolts and Cremone Bolts
- Custom Products
Antimicrobial Copper Surfaces vs. Silver
Coatings Under Real World Test Conditions
On copper, and a range of copper alloys – collectively termed ‘antimicrobial copper’, likewise the coronavirus was rapidly inactivated (within a few minutes, for simulated fingertip contamination). Exposure to copper destroyed the virus completely and irreversibly, leading the researchers to conclude that antimicrobial copper surfaces, could be employed in communal areas and at any mass gatherings to help reduce the spread of respiratory viruses and protect public health.
All antimicrobial products marketed and sold in the U.S. 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.
How Copper Door Hardware Kills Bacteria
Copper ions dissolved from the copper surface causes cell damage. 
The cell membrane ruptures, leading to loss of the cell content. 
Copper ions lead to the generation of toxic radicals which cause further damage 
DNA becomes degraded and leaves the cell
What is the mechanism of contact-killing of bacteria by copper? As a first step, the contact of bacteria with the copper surface ruptures the membrane by an unknown mechanism. This leads to the loss of cell content. Large amounts of copper ions dissolve from the metal surface and then taken up by the cell. The dissolved copper ions react with oxygen, thereby forming so called reactive oxygen species. Finally, DNA is fragments into small pieces which seep out of the cell. This sequence of events is still tentative, but it is already clear that the killing of bacteria by copper involves several mechanisms.
But if copper kills bacteria, is it not dangerous to me? No! Copper is not significantly through the skin, so touching copper, brass or bronze is never a risk.
Contact of skin with copper leads to the generation of the copper smell. The smell arises from traces of aldehydes which form when copper comes into contact with skin. For unknown reasons, our nose is exquisitely sensitive to these compounds, but they are of no concern. Importantly, copper is an essential trace element, so your body needs copper.
The surface of these products will continuously kill 99.9% harmful bacteria, when cleaned regularly. Since these products are manufactured from copper cleaning will not remove the bacteria killing properties.
Copper hardware helps combat deadly pathogen transmission
While the exact mechanism by which copper kills bacteria is still unknown, the laboratory data on copper’s effectiveness is compelling. CuVerro® alloys can be incorporated into a range of health care equipment and furnishings, providing an active surface that kills greater than 99.9% of bacteria within 2 hours.
The effectiveness of the copper alloy is important because “hospital-acquired infections sicken approximately 2 million Americans annually, and kill nearly 100,000,” Dr. Michael G. Schmidt, University of South Carolina, Charleston, added. It is the eighth leading cause of U.S. deaths. In November, the American Society of Microbiology released a new study, which discovered that copper hospital beds in intensive care units had 95 percent fewer bacteria than conventional beds. Copper alloy surfaces in commercial buildings, homes, and schools – albeit more expensive to install – are disease fighters that can significantly lower infection and death rates.
Contact us today!
We can find the right option for your school. Finally, as door professionals we are up to date on all door hardware finishes and materials to include Antimicrobial Copper Door Hardware in Education. Need Help with hardware for Architects, Contractors, Healthcare?
Please call us at 800-621-0790 or leave us your contact information with a detailed message. One of our team will get back to you directly.