You may have read about a new pilot project at hospitals in the UK where Copper is to be used on standard fittings that are commonly interacted with, where the copper’s anti-bacterial properties are being put to the test.

These new fittings are designed to fight MRSA. Basically it’s what happens when a nasty bug is transmitted via a common surface to a new patient. The copper (and to a lesser extent, brass, which has a lower copper content level) has inherent antibacterial properties.

Earlier this year Renowned sportscaster Dick Schaap passed away (we’ll miss you Dick!) due to an infection received at the hospital he was staying in of this type, and now we’re out a perfectly wonderful sportscaster everybody likes (and we’re left with his son, depending on whom you ask, a decent sportscaster).

There are a bunch of products that are both new, and old that have taken advantage of these properties around and outside the hospital zone.

One of the places that copper coatings has become the rage is on the hulls of boats. It keeps barnacles and muscles from latching on, and requiring a yearly scrubbing from a matey, that’ll run you around 1000 pounds or more! Plus it lasts for around 10 years, (yes, that’s 10,000 pounds for the price of one application). That stuff is called Copper Coat.

There is also Copper coated bedding that can help eliminate in bed infections and the like.

I wonder why no one has gone into putting a copper mesh into a band aid like the one shown above (a horrible bit of late night Photoshopping from myself).  In the gauze area of the  bandage it seems a lower amount of antibacterial gel goop would be needed for the same effect, and it would all be applied at once, (umm should I be patenting this thought?  You heard it here first!)

There’s also more details from:

The Times online

This is London, and

ITV