EPA Registration
After many years of independent laboratory testing, followed by additional rigorous testing under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved protocols, the EPA registered 275 copper alloys (including brass and bronze) as public health antimicrobial products on February 29, 2008. Public health products are intended to control microorganisms associated with infections or other adverse effects in humans.
The registration allows the Copper Development Association (CDA) and registered manufacturers of copper alloy products to market these products with a claim that copper "kills 99.9% of bacteria* within two hours," when cleaned regularly and as a supplement to routine cleaning and disinfection programs.
The registration is a legal U.S. federal government decision acknowledging the antimicrobial efficacy of copper-based products against the following disease-causing bacteria:
- E. coli O157:H7, a food-borne pathogen that has been associated with large-scale food recalls;
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most virulent strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and a common culprit of hospital- and community-acquired infections;
- Staphylococcus aureus, the most common of all bacterial staphylococcus (i.e. staph) infections that can cause life-threatening diseases, including pneumonia and meningitis;
- Enterobacter aerogenes, a pathogenic bacterium commonly found in hospitals that causes opportunistic skin infections and impacts other body tissues; and,
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that infects the pulmonary tracts, urinary tracts, blood, and skin of immunocompromised individuals.
Unlike traditional antimicrobial products legally permitted to be marketed with public health claims—typically gases, liquids, sprays, and concentrated powders—copper alloys are solid surface materials.
Antimicrobial copper products can only be sold by registered manufacturers using registered copper alloys. For information on how to obtain an EPA registration, e-mail coppershield@cda.copper.org.
