In copper we trust

Chiyoda Hospital, on the island of Kyushu in Japan, has become the world's first new hospital to be fitted throughout with antimicrobial copper door furniture, says the Copper Development Association.

A small-scale trial at the old Chiyoda Hospital carried out by staff showed that antimicrobial copper door furniture harboured significantly fewer pathogens than stainless steel items, which led to the decision to install antimicrobial copper throughout the new facility.

"I thought about the things patients would touch most frequently, and focused on those surfaces where deadly microbes could be transmitted," says Dr Susumu Chiyotanda, who owns the facility. "We want to shut down the cycle of infection, and these microbes are killed by copper.

"Over the past two years, we have tested the efficacy of copper products. Those tests proved the antimicrobial effect, of course, but also helped the doctors and nurses to understand it well." Japan's resident expert on antimicrobial copper, Dr Takeshi Sasahara, comments: "Copper and its alloys can help reduce the risk of infections posed to hospital staff and patients, which I believe should lead to the higher quality of medical services."