Microbiological research by low surface temperature radiator specialist, Contour Casings, is ‘beginning to shed light’ on the levels of potentially harmful bacteria present inside some radiator guards in healthcare environments.
In a comparative study at an NHS Trust hospital in southern England, it was discovered that there could potentially be 682,000 bacteria colonies present inside a single radiator guard with no internal access for cleaning or antimicrobial protection. Contour Casings explained: “Numerous swabs were taken from various guard locations, and the data extrapolated to reflect an average-sized radiator guard, suggesting an average hospital ward or corridor with 40 traditional fixed radiator guards could contain over five million potentially harmful bacteria colonies.” When the traditional radiator guard results were compared with swabs from low surface temperature radiators protected by Contour Casings’ Trionic DeepClean guards, which offer full internal access for cleaning, and inherent antimicrobial technology, the ‘special’ guards not only contained 96% fewer bacterial colonies overall, but also 74% fewer different types. The Contour Casings guards have a ‘full-access’ front door, for fast, simple access for cleaning, and include BioCote antimicrobial technology in their paintwork, reportedly reducing harmful levels of bacteria such as MRSA and E.coli ‘by up to 99.99%’ in under two hours.
