Archived Copper is great at killing superbugs so why don't hospitals use it? (theconversation.com)
submitted ago by doginventer
Posted by: doginventer
Posting time: 3.8 years ago on
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Archived on: 5/29/2017 10:00:00 AM
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67 upvotes, 2 downvotes (97% upvoted it)
Archived Copper is great at killing superbugs so why don't hospitals use it? (theconversation.com)
submitted ago by doginventer
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[–] DiscontentedMajority 1 point 22 points 23 points (+23|-1) ago (edited ago)
Correct, because brass is part copper.
[–] What_was_that_2 0 points 9 points 9 points (+9|-0) ago
TIL, thanks
[–] cyks 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Alloy me to share in your gratitude for knowledge.
[–] theMETA 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Yup. Brass is a copper-tin or copper-zinc alloy, whereas bronze is usually a copper-aluminium alloy.
The problem with this comment thread is that most brass door knobs are coated in a thin, "invisible" plastic to prevent it from oxidizing. This keeps the brass bright and golden, instead of turning brown and "crusty."
This plastic barrier prevents any antibacterial properties the copper could possibly have. For this reason, brass has been primarily used for its golden color, and not it's antibacterial properties.