Touch Surfaces in a Pandemic
UseNickel.org staff
While COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, the medical community has been racing to better understand the novel coronavirus, develop a vaccine at an unprecedented rate, and reduce the possibility of a similar pandemic in the future. The general public also anxiously awaits a solution to a virus that has already infected over 10 million individuals. From bananas to hydroxychloroquine, many false and insufficiently-tested theories are circulating, leading the FDA to emphasize that there are “currently no vaccines to prevent or drugs to treat COVID-19” that the organization has approved.
However, once COVID-19 is brought under control, the world will still be faced with the unsettling reality that, in the age of global interdependence, large-scale pandemics are inevitable. And the next one may be significantly more fatal than COVID-19 (whose death rate is estimated to be around 0.5%-1.0%). That is, unless effective and extensive measures are taken preemptively.
The world will still be faced with the unsettling reality that, in the age of global interdependence, large-scale pandemics are inevitable.
One potential step could involve researching, and subsequently implementing, antimicrobial touch surfaces throughout public facilities. Touch surfaces, as the name implies, are surfaces with which individuals’ hands come into regular contact, such as door knobs and hand rails. With hundreds of people touching the same surface each day, bacteria and viruses can be easily transmitted, and therefore so can harmful diseases. This is especially true for stainless steel and plastic, materials commonly-used for touch surfaces, yet ones that are not antimicrobial. Indeed, research has shown that the novel coronavirus will survive on both for up to 72 hours. On the other hand, certain metals—including nickel and copper—exhibit antimicrobial properties, killing bacteria upon contact (Studies have further demonstrated that copper is antiviral. Research pertaining to nickel is far more sparse, and therefore no official conclusion has yet been made on nickel’s ability to kill viruses).
Recently, antimicrobial copper touch surfaces have been implemented in several hospitals in hopes of combating healthcare-associated infections (HAI’s). In one particular study, for example, substituting 7% of ICU surfaces with copper ones resulted in a 58% decrease in HAI’s. Such results are promising, especially considering their cost effectiveness. Dr. Cassandra Salgado from the Medical University of South Carolina explains, “Health economists estimate that if copper surfaces were incorporated into ICUs, after three to six months, those surfaces would pay for themselves. That is not a long time period.”
If able to dramatically reduce HAI’s, then certainly antimicrobial touch surfaces would be beneficial in a pandemic. Afterall, one can be infected with COVID-19 via (non-antimicrobial) touch surfaces, and many of the CDC’s guidelines for staying healthy reflect this reality. However, it is also important to note that touch surfaces are not as effective at transmitting the virus as direct, in-person contact. Recent research points out that the novel coronavirus grows less viable on materials over time, and a significant enough quantity is required for infection. Consequently, surfaces that are frequently-touched by many people will pose a far greater risk than those touched less often.
As the world because more and more interconnected, disease will naturally spread more and more easily. But through implementing antimicrobial touch surfaces, perhaps a large portion of this spread may be reduced. More research is required to determine which materials are most effective, and the process of transitioning from stainless steel—the current norm—will not be immediate. In the mean time, individuals can follow CDC guidelines to remain socially distant, wear a face mask, and wash hands regularly.
For more information and further reading on this topic, please see the following sources:
https://e360.yale.edu/features/spillover-warning-how-we-can-prevent-the-next-pandemic-david-quammen
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-prevent-covid-19-pandemic-happening-again/
https://www.insider.com/how-long-do-viruses-live-on-surfaces
To learn more about how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, please see the following source: