Copper Fixtures Keep Gilmour Academy Athletes Healthy

CLEVELAND — In an effort to combat the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other highly contagious bacteria, Cleveland’s Gilmour Academy has installed a number of copper fixtures in its ice arena.

The Gilmour Academy Ice Arena facility draws more than 300,000 visitors yearly and is home to John Carroll University, Gilmour Academy and hundreds of hockey and figure skating events throughout the year. The installation of these MD-Cu29 antimicrobial copper fixtures on more than 200 touch points has helped to make the popular and highly trafficked facility one of the most bacteria-resistant sports arenas in the nation.

MD-Cu29 touch surfaces, produced by Pittsburgh-based Hussey Copper, provide continuous and ongoing antibacterial action against additional bacterial strains such as E-coli and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). Registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MD-CU29 takes advantage of copper’s natural anti-microbial properties to kill more than 99.9 percent of bacteria within two hours, and continues to kill 99 percent of bacteria even after repeated contaminations, according to lab-confirmed testing.

The MD-Cu29 installation at Gilmour Academy Ice Arena focuses on high-traffic surfaces like door handles, push plates and locker pulls. The project also retrofitted existing surfaces to reduce costs. Together, these touch surfaces will help protect thousands of annual visitors from several dangerous bacteria associated with sports facilities and public spaces.

Gilmour Academy Hockey Director John Malloy supported the project, calling MD-Cu29 a smart and cost-effective way to take action against the spread of harmful bacteria.

“Our decision to install MD-Cu29 touch surfaces is all about prevention and safety, for students and visitors,” Malloy said in a statement. “When we heard about the benefits of copper touch surfaces, we were very interested.”

“As a parent you want to do all that you can to protect your children from harmful bacteria,” said Joe Mallack, CEO of Hussey Copper. “It is refreshing to see Gilmour Academy take a step in that direction. Gilmour is a first-class educational institution, and this recent action exemplifies its commitment to students, parents, and coaches.”

Copper surfaces have long been used in hospital and health care settings to reduce the risk of health care-acquired bacterial infections in patients. In 2013 a Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) study found that placement of items with copper surfaces into intensive care unit rooms as an additional measure to routine infection control practices reduced the risk of health care-acquired infections, as well as colonization with multidrug resistant microbes, by 60 percent, according to a statement by the university.

Furthermore, a 2013 paper, “Antimicrobial Copper (Cu+) Implementation and its Influence to the Epidemiological Data in Elementary School Populations,” found that covering or replacing multi-touch surfaces such as hand and stair railings resulted in a significant reduction in pathogenic strains and viruses. Study authors concentrated on five different elementary schools and conducted surveillance of flu-like symptoms between 2011 and 2012. They ultimately concluded that the use of antimicrobial copper in places with great population concentrations and crowded places, such as schools and schools sporting facilities, contributed greatly to the reduction of viral respiratory tract infections.