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New Nanotech Paints for Hospitals Could Kill Superbugs Source of Article: http://www.accu-mold.com/ Originally Published:20081201.
New nanotechnology paints for walls,
ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when
fluorescent lights are switched on, according to a presentation at the
Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting held at With rising concern about the spread
of hospital superbugs, healthcare trusts are increasingly looking to find
better ways to maintain hygienic standards in hospitals. The same concerns
are driving developments in the food industry and in pharmaceutical companies.
These new nanoparticle paints could provide a
simple and cost-effective solution. The new paints contain tiny particles
of titanium dioxide, which is the white compound often used as a brightener
in commercial paints. Scientists have discovered that
extremely small, nanoparticle-sized forms of
titanium dioxide can kill bacteria and destroy dirt when they absorb UV
energy from the sun and produce active molecules that clean up the painted
surfaces. "It would be best if the titanium
was antibacterial at wavelengths of light that you find indoors, such as
fluorescent light, so that paints containing the nanoparticles
could be used in hospitals," says Lucia Caballero from The researchers looked at the survival
of the food poisoning bacterium E. coli on different formulations of paints
containing the titanium nanoparticles under
different types and intensities of lights. "We found that paints
containing titanium dioxide are more successful at killing bacteria if the
concentration of the nanoparticles is stronger than
in normal paint. Our best results showed that all the E. coli were killed
under ordinary fluorescent lights," says Caballero. "However, other common additives
in paints, such as calcium carbonate, silica or talc decreased the
antibacterial efficiency of the paint. If calcium carbonate was present the
kill rate dropped by up to 80%," adds Caballero. |
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