A paint to kill nightmare bacteria? Perhaps.
The Sherwin-Williams paint company has announced a new "Paint Shield" paint that they contend will kill bacteria. If it works, this could be a
great thing for future hospital patients:
The company created a paint that it claims will kill bacteria — a major cause of healthcare-associated infections in hospitals. Among the targeted bacteria are Staph, MRSA, E. coli, VRE, and Enterobacter aerogenes.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC say that “on any given day” about one in 25 patients contracts at least one healthcare-associated infection during their hospital stay.
More on how it works:
“Paint Shield is one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in our nearly 150 year history of innovation,” said Chris Connor, chairman and chief executive, Sherwin-Williams. “By killing infectious pathogens on painted surfaces, Paint Shield is a game-changing advancement in coatings technology.”
Paint Shield doesn’t just inhibit the growth of common microbes, it actually has the power to kill infectious bacteria, including Staph (Staphylococcus aureus), MRSA, and E. coli, thereby giving healthcare systems and other facilities an important new tool to help prevent the spread of some of the most common bacteria that trigger hospital-acquired infections. EPA-test protocol showed that once it is applied, the effectiveness of Paint Shield lasts for up to four years, as long as the integrity of the surface is maintained.
Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the CDC says
time will tell whether it is effective or not:
Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the CDC said that eliminating healthcare-associated infections is “a top priority” as they are “very serious threats to patient safety.”
However, he cautioned that it’s difficult to determine the impact of any one cleaning or disinfecting agent. For a product to be deemed effective, it must meet several criteria and must undergo testing in both laboratory and healthcare settings.
Hospitals aside, if the paint proves effective, Sherwin-Williams anticipates the paint would also be used in schools, cruise ships and other environments where bacteria spreads quickly.