Copper kills COVID-19

Viruses and bacteria that come in contact with a copper surface are destroyed. This property of copper never wears off, even if it tarnishes. WTF?

Think about a house. Think about all the surfaces you touch the most with your hands, especially after having been out and about. Your front door handle. Toilet flush handles. Sink water handles. What if all these were antibacterial surfaces that clean themselves, all the time? Especially in COVID times, that would be amazing… Well, copper actually does this!

How does it work?

Copper has a free electron in its outer orbital shell of electrons that easily takes part in oxidation-reduction reactions (which also makes the metal a good conductor). As a result it becomes a molecular oxygen grenade. [1]

In other words, copper has a free electron. This stems from the atomic makeup of copper itself. This extra electron reacts easily with any surface that touches it. That leads to a change in the cell membrane of any virus or bacteria that touches copper — sort of shooting a whole in their cell wall(!)

Additionally, this extra electron that blast any bacteria or virus landing on copper will also seek to destroy the very DNA and RNA inside them(!). Basically reacting with hydrogen atoms inside a DNA/RNA molecule, thus changing and destroying the DNA/RNA. Fancy words for saying: totally wrecking anything that touches copper, obliterating microorganisms to their core. I love it. How awesome is this?

I will certainly use copper on key surfaces if I ever build a house. Additionally, I hope more public areas learn of this when planning construction of door handles.

Read the article below to understand better, or listen to the second part of the radiolab podcast that discusses this very phenomena.

[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/copper-virus-kill-180974655/

[2] https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/invisible-allies