Innovations to limit the risk of epidemics – Géroscopie
Innovations to limit the risk of epidemics
To fight epidemics and reduce the risk of infection, there is nothing like repeated hygiene measures. However, when used in addition, certain materials or technological innovations limit the transmission and proliferation of viruses, bacteria or fungi, responsible for gastroenteritis, influenza, even Covid-19…
Copper, Ehpad’s ally
Copper is an antibacterial metal with interesting properties. A pioneer in its applications, the industrialist Lebronze alloys (Suippes) has developed products, including a range of door handles or handrails, SteriAll*, which is oxidation-resistant and recyclable, and offers virucidal, bactericidal and fungicidal protection. Numerous studies have confirmed these properties, including one conducted with the University of Reims Champagne Ardennes and the support of the region and European funds. It involved more than 620 residents of Ehpad or Marpa in 5 establishments. Each establishment was divided into two parts, one equipped with copper, the other not. The aim: to measure the impact of SteriAll* copper alloy on surface contamination and to evaluate the benefit of this copper alloy on the health of the people living in the equipped buildings. More than 1,300 bacterial samples were taken. The number of bacteria present on copper surfaces has been reduced by approximately 60% compared to surfaces made of conventional materials. Similarly, the large-scale installation of copper handles and handrails has shown that the number of infected people was four times lower in the equipped in copper alloy only in non-equipped areas.
Self-decontamination properties
MetalSkin Technologies, a leading French industrialist, is a major coup in the fight against infections. Its composite coating combining polymers and a 92% copper alloy, “applied to a thickness of 200 pm in certified plants, makes it possible to divide the number of bacteria by an average of 3,000 in one hour. ». It has many applications, but the most surprising is self-decontamination. on treated surfaces. It can thus provide properties bactericidal contact elements at risk: door handles, knobs elevator, switches, faucets, ramps, flush toilets, beds, etc. When you knows that 80% of infections associated with care are linked to manual contact, it is easy to understand what is at stake in such discoveries.
An Afnor standard to validate
“Since the 2000s, the industry has been using and abusing an ISO standard (22196) of Japanese origin, which in no way corresponds to the reality on the ground. In fact, the surface test is carried out in the dark for 24 hours at 37°C and 90% humidity“, explains Stéphane Penari, CEO of MetalSkin Technologies. “It has nothing to do with infection control in Ehpad. So I asked Afnor, which conducted a public inquiry to check whether this standard should be revised. The unanimous and unequivocal response led to the creation of a commission bringing together health professionals, hygienists and industrialists. “From their work was born in May 2019 the standard NF S90-700, which measures the bactericidal activity. This restrictive standard requires the number of bacteria on the treated surface to be divided by 100 in a maximum of 1 hour. ” Our MetalSkin® solution divides it by 1000 in three minutes on average. “In addition, the CNRS has just published a study indicating that MetalSkin® inhibits 99.95% of the bacteria on the treated surface. the SARS VOC 2 virus in less than 4 hours. And ISO has just created a Committee Dedicated technique to transform this NF standard into an international standard.
