Recent research at the University of Southampton shows the Influenza A virus is virtually eradicated within six hours on copper surfaces.
Professor Bill Keevil and Dr Jonathan Noyce,
microbiology researchers at the university, detail the findings in a study being
prepared for submission for peerreviewed publication later this year. Bill
Keevil said: “The findings are so pertinent to the current concerns about containing
a potential outbreak of the avian flu strain, that we felt it important to provide
some of the preliminary results at this time.”
The researchers placed two million plaque forming
units of Influenza A (H1N1) on coupons of C11000 copper (high purity copper)
and on S30400 (common stainless steel) at room temperature and then monitored
them periodically to determine the survival rates of the samples. On the
stainless steel surface, the pathogen declined to one million after six hours
and to 500,000 after 24 hours.
