Anuario Brasileiro do Cobre | Brazilian Copper Yearbook 2018

Anuário Brasileiro do Cobre Brazilian Copper Yearbook 2018 51 Peru Positive results in measuring of bacterial load with the application of antimicrobial copper Public areas of INDECO NEXANS Company - This company is the leader in cable´s manufacturing in Peru and belongs to NEXANS, a large French corporation. Its project of antimicrobial copper consisted in the application of copper alloys in places with great traffic and flow of people: clients, suppliers and administrative staff entrances, and the commercial office. First of all, they identified which contact surfaces would be replaced by a part made of copper. In some pieces, they kept the original material. Then, it was installed: handrails at the stairs and door handles. After the installation, they proceed with the measurement of the bacterial load. The results were: nine times more bacteria than the number found in the installed part built in copper. In the commercial office, the result was 11 times more bacteria at the aluminum door handle than at the one made of copper. Active Copper – Healthy Hands - Besides that, another result of that installation was noticing the change in color that copper suffers due to the contact with the users’ skin and the environmental effects. The antimicrobial copper application can’t be painted or enameled; however, the color change does not impair copper‘s properties. Furthermore, for copper cleaning it is possible to use a citric acid compound on the contact surface that allows the copper to recover its color and its natural brightness. The cleaning of copper is a complement to the Cleaning Protocol that already exists. The antimicrobial copper is a milestone in infections’ prevention The presented cases give a margin to expect the replication of the experiences in all possible areas and, thus contribute to eliminate harmful agents to health and help in the fight against infections, preventing contagion and impacting the people´s quality of life in a good way.  The antimicrobial copper helps to save lifes Hospital-acquired infections are increasing in hospitals around the world. The bacteria that cause they are growing and getting resistant to a lot of the current antibiotics. The crisis in numbers - In the United States hospitals, one in 20 patients developed a hospital- acquired infection. Two millions people develop a hospital-acquired infection per annum. Around 99,000 of these patients died as a result of these infections. In Mexico, three in every 20 patients develop a hospital-acquired infection. 740,000 people develop a hospital-acquired infection per year. Around 35,000 deaths are result of these infections. The reality: it wasn´t done enough to face this problem Did you know that 80% of the infectious diseases are transmitted by contact? Did you know that only 40% of the hygiene team washes their hands? Unlike the aerosol and the hand wash, the antimicrobial surfaces of copper eliminate continuously 99% of the bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections. In the United States, antimicrobial copper proved that it can reduce 58% of the hospital-acquired infections in intense care units. More than 5 million patients are admitted to intense care units per year. This means that over 240,000 people could be freed from infections. And even better, tens of thousands lives could be saved. Source: ProCobre/ICA