Copper: Helping Prevent Infectious Diseases

Copper is a natural element in our world. It was used by ancient Egyptians for sterilizing drinking water, and also for sterilizing chest wounds. Greeks, Romans, and Aztecs used copper compounds to make drinking glasses, cookware, and tongue scrapers, and also to treat burns, headaches, ear infections, and many other things.

I have always used copper cookware in my home because I thought it was durable, and it handled heat well and evenly. However, I learned it also has other benefits. I read about recent studies that were conducted on copper surfaces in an intensive care unit. Since healthcare-acquired infections are such a huge problem in medical care facilities, I found these studies very interesting.

One study tested copper surfaces in intensive care units and then measured the percentage of germs and bacteria in those rooms. Here is a quote from the article:

“Results: The rate of HAI and/or MRSA or VRE colonization in ICU rooms with copper alloy surfaces was significantly lower than that in standard ICU rooms. Conclusions: Patients cared for in ICU rooms with copper alloy surfaces had a significantly lower rate of incident HAI and/or colonization with MRSA or VRE than did patients treated in standard rooms.”¹

The study involved sixteen intensive care hospital rooms. Researchers put copper surfaces in half (eight) of those rooms. The result was that the rooms with the copper surfaces had about half the rate of infectious germs and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections compared to the rooms without copper surfaces.

Another study found that the bacteria counts on copper surfaces were 83% less than on non-copper surfaces. That is huge, wonderful, and so easy to implement. Since then, at least 15 hospitals across the country have installed, or are considering installing, copper components on “high-touch” surfaces that are easily contaminated with microbes: the faucet handles on sinks, cabinet pulls, toilet levers, call buttons, light switches, door handles, and IV poles.²

I use copper scouring pads in my kitchen for cleaning my pots and pans. They work well and don’t hold onto bacteria. This is an easy thing for anyone to do.

If you are remodeling a kitchen, copper surfaces would be a healthy countertop to install. Furthermore, copper was believed throughout history to support the lymphatic system. This is fascinating.

So, in conclusion, using copper in our homes, in our pipes, and in our cookware or drinking glasses can have a very positive effect on our health.

© 2016 by Nancy Addison. All Rights Reserved.

Sources:

1. Salgado, Cassandra, et. al. (May, 2013). “Copper surfaces reduce the rate of healthcare-acquired infections in the intensive care unit.” Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 34(5): 479-86. PMID: 23571364. (Article Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina.)

2. Sun, Lena. (September 20, 2015). “The bacteria-fighting super element that’s making a comeback in hospitals: copper”. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-bacteria-fighting-super-element-making-a-return-to-hospitals-copper/2015/09/20/19251704-5beb-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html?tid=a_inl