It has been shown that copper prevents the growth of microorganisms that grow in water and thrive in drinking water systems such as bacteria, viruses, algae, parasites.
These microorganisms, including Legionnaires' disease virus, the deadly E. Coli bacterium and polio virus, are threats to human health.
It is worth noting, that laboratory tests on water samples left in aged copper networks for 24 hours, have shown 97% and 96% reduction in type 1 and type 2 poliovirus, respectively.
When copper piping was used, research showed that 80% of the type 2 polio virus was eliminated within 3 hours , whilst the virus was completely eradicated within 24 hours.
Thus, organizations and health institutions around the globe, are turning to copper in order to gain an edge in the battle against resistant microbes.
The US Environmental Protection Agency is already in the process of validating the antibacterial properties of copper.
The results, expected in the near future, are about to make copper the first material with official recognition for antibacterial properties.
Clinical trials examining the extent to which copper and copper alloy surfaces affect the survival of microbes are already being carried out in hospitals in countries such as the UK, Japan, USA, South Africa, Germany and Denmark.
A typical example is Selly Oak Hospital UK, where all stainless steel surfaces (handles, tap batteries, buttons on flushing toilets, auxiliary rods used by patients to move around, even staff pens) in one ward were replaced by copper.