Copper's Antiviral Properties

From ancient times, mankind has mined and utilized copper for everything from weaponry to circuitry. Today, copper’s myriad uses has established this in-demand metal as a vital resource for humanity and demand is growing.

In a pandemic, copper’s anti-viral properties becomes a focus as operators of transit systems, hotels and public buildings, schools, universities, places of worship – anywhere people congregate – look for solutions to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus on surfaces touched daily by thousands of people.

“Bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are rapidly killed on metallic copper surfaces, and the term “contact killing” has been coined for this process.” (read more) Remarkably, this ability of copper to kill  pathogens has been observed for thousands of years.

Here in Vancouver Teck Resources Ltd. has partnered with TransLink, overseers of metro Vancouver’s transportation network, to test the germ-killing properties of copper, adding to the public’s confidence in safely using transit during the pandemic.

Read the press release from Teck (click, right bottom), or view Teck’s promotional video (click, right top).