Copper is an essential nutrient and, therefore, vital to the health of humans, animals and plants. Copper is needed for maintaining normal growth of the fetus during pregnancy, healthy brain functioning and repair of wounds and injuries.
Copper is not carcinogenic, mutagenic or a reproductive toxicant. The human body does not manufacture copper, so it needs to be obtained from food and water. Generally, the concentration of copper in food can be up to 2 milligrams per kilogram in red and organ meats, offal, fish, nuts, chocolate and green vegetables. Here is a list of ten foods that are rich in copper.
Copper deficiency, which is consuming too little dietary copper, can be of concern. Serious diseases ranging from blood and blood vessel abnormalities to abnormal bone formations and hypopigmentation of the skin may be attributed to copper deficiency. Copper deficiency is a risk factor for osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease. Even a mild deficiency can lower the immune system, resulting in frequent colds and flu, loss of skin tone, reproductive problems and fatigue.
While the recommended daily intake for copper is based on age and gender, the average dietary intakes range from 1 – 1.6 mg/day.
It’s important to understand the positive effects copper has on a human body and how copper helps the body.
According to the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions of patients are affected by healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) worldwide each year, leading to significant mortality and financial losses for health systems.
The U.S. alone experiences 1.7 million HAIs annually, which costs $35 billion and causes 99,000 deaths.
These infections—such as MRSA and E.coli—are caused by microbes that thrive on objects people touch every day. Despite aggressive hand-washing campaigns and routine cleaning and disinfection, infection rates remain unacceptably high and more needs to be done to lower the risk of acquiring an infection and improving patient safety.
Interventions reducing the opportunities for infections to spread within healthcare facilities have significant potential not just to lower the burden of associated mortality and morbidity, but also to limit opportunities for drug-resistant strains to emerge. Tackling the global threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms is a high priority for WHO and the UN.
Now there is a new weapon in the fight against the microbes causing these deadly infections: Antimicrobial Copper®.
With broad-spectrum and rapid efficacy, Antimicrobial Copper has been shown to continuously kill pathogenic bacteria*–Including those with antibiotic resistance. Deploying products made from Antimicrobial Copper, as part of contemporary hospital architecture and design, can supplement infection control practices in hospitals.
Antimicrobial Copper is the only solid metal touch surface to have efficacy data independently verified through a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public health registration, which supports its claim to continuously kill more than 99.9% of the bacteria* that cause HCAIs, within two hours of contact when cleaned regularly.
The supporting science has proven Antimicrobial Copper to be the most effective antimicrobial touch surface and has sparked a global campaign advocating the use of these materials to combat infectious microbes in healthcare facilities, mass transit, educational institutions and beyond. Antimicrobial Copper fulfills the requirements of the WELL Building Standard™ for high-touch non-porous antimicrobial surfaces.
Three main characteristics make Antimicrobial Copper the most effective touch surface material:
Continuously kills microbes
- Efficacy as an antimicrobial is scientifically proven
- The only solid metal touch surface registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Never wears out
- Continuous and ongoing antimicrobial action
- Remains effective even after repeated wet and dry abrasion and re-contamination
- Natural oxidation does not impair efficacy.
Safe to use
- Not harmful to people or the environment
- Inherently antimicrobial, no chemicals added
- Completely recyclable
*Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper surfaces kill greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, VRE, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7. Antimicrobial copper surfaces are a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices and have been shown to reduce microbial contamination, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination or infections; users must continue to follow all current infection control practices.
