Antimicrobial metals – silver, copper or zinc – can be incorporated into buildings as part of the building fabric, furniture or at specific touch points to reduce bioburden. Marshall-Tufflex considers the use of such materials and reflects on the current lack of clear policy for their use in the UK NHS.
Contamination control is critical in cleanroom environments and healthcare facilities, with high levels of infection control required to prevent bacterial cross-infection and reduce bioburden levels. This crucial requirement has driven researchers to develop new and innovative approaches to minimising, controlling and killing bacterial pathogens, with the spotlight increasingly falling on the benefits offered by equipment and building products enhanced with antimicrobial properties. These are increasingly being recognised as straightforward and cost-effective methods of controlling and preventing infection in a wide range of applications, from laboratories to operating theatres.
From door furniture to privacy curtains, hand rails to cable management systems, floors to children’s toys, all manner of antimicrobial products are available, most of which are based on the antibacterial properties of metals such as silver and copper. And while systems vary in approach, using different metals as the active ingredient and employing different application techniques, all are geared to wiping out bacterial surface contaminants and preventing cross-contamination.
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