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Copper in Transit Study Wright, Stephen; Bryce, Elizabeth; Charles, Marthe K.; Asselin, Edouard; Nakhaie, Davood; Williams, Teresa

Abstract

Does it work? Antimicrobial copper was found to be an effective option for improving the hygiene of touch surfaces in transit. This was demonstrated through on-vehicle testing, as well as in-lab results that showed a 97.5% reduction in the coronavirus surrogate and up to 99.9% reduction in bacteria within 2 hours. Will it last? Apart from vandalism of the copper decal product from passengers picking at the exposed edges, the tested products were found to be durable and resilient after 12 months of use. The products showed no significant reduction in thickness and had no indications of dealloying after extended use in transit. What did people think about it? The public survey revealed that hygiene on transit surfaces is extremely important in both Vancouver and Toronto; however, it also indicated there may be a knowledge gap for riders in how copper could improve sanitization of surfaces. There would need to be efforts in public engagement to improve awareness of the benefits of antimicrobial copper if it was installed.

Item Metadata

Title
Copper in Transit Study
Creator
Wright, Stephen; Bryce, Elizabeth; Charles, Marthe K.; Asselin, Edouard; Nakhaie, Davood; Williams, Teresa
Contributor
Children's Hospital (Vancouver, B.C.); Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; Vancouver General Hospital; VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
Date Issued
2023-10-30
Description
Does it work? Antimicrobial copper was found to be an effective option for improving the hygiene of touch surfaces in transit. This was demonstrated through on-vehicle testing, as well as in-lab results that showed a 97.5% reduction in the coronavirus surrogate and up to 99.9% reduction in bacteria within 2 hours. Will it last? Apart from vandalism of the copper decal product from passengers picking at the exposed edges, the tested products were found to be durable and resilient after 12 months of use. The products showed no significant reduction in thickness and had no indications of dealloying after extended use in transit. What did people think about it? The public survey revealed that hygiene on transit surfaces is extremely important in both Vancouver and Toronto; however, it also indicated there may be a knowledge gap for riders in how copper could improve sanitization of surfaces. There would need to be efforts in public engagement to improve awareness of the benefits of antimicrobial copper if it was installed.
Genre
Report
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-12-19
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0438295
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86981
Affiliation
Applied Science, Faculty of; Non UBC; Materials Engineering, Department of; Medicine, Faculty of; Medicine, Department of; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of
Peer Review Status
Unreviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International