Door Hardware Spreads Bacteria
It is encouraging to see the reduction in instances of MRSA and subsequent reduction in mortality in the health services over recent years. However the number of infections remain significant. Simple solutions like educating staff and visitors to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly often does not have a lasting impact. Having touch surfaces that self clean preventing bacteria from spreading will have a significant and lasting contribution to reducing infections. Door Handles are a major contributor to the spread of bacteria, depending on the frequency of use,
temperature and humidity, large colonies can survive on handles for relatively long periods.
Touch Clean offers a solution to the specific threat posed by bacteria on door handles. Our factory applied coating has been independently tested by Evans Vanodine plc. A very large colony of Staphylococcus aureus [much larger than would be possible in normal conditions] was applied to a stainless-steel disc coated with TouchClean a 99.99 % kill rate was achieved. An interesting if not a little worrying study of 400 internal toilet doors in 136 airport washrooms in 59 countries* that were swabbed and subsequently analysed showed substantial amounts of bacteria deposited on the door handles. The majority of bacteria found was staphylococcus aureus however substantial amounts of bacteria showing the common signs of faecal contamination were also detected, a clear sign travellers are not washing their hands after using the toilets. Most worrying fact however was the discovery of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics and is being spread around the globe. A simple solution is to force travellers to wash and sanitise their hands by having signs asking them to do so however the conclusion found can only suggest that this is widely ignored. Fitting Touch Clean door hardware would make a positive contribution to combating this threat to world health.
*Study source Frieder Schaumberg University Hospital Munster Germany
