Could copper surfaces in hospitals stop the spread of germs?

Some hospitals employ the use of copper in certain materials as a way to slow the spread of disease. But a New York Times reader wanted to know the actual efficacy of that.

The Times’ Q & A blog responded by explaining that studies have shown that copper can be a useful tool for “contact” killing of bacteria. For example, people in ancient times would store water in copper containers.

And in certain hospitals, the use of copper on such as bedrails or doorknobs could help slow the spread of disease through surface contact, but person-to-person spread is still the most common way to mix germs—and all the copper surfaces in the world couldn’t interfere with that. Plus, the presence of sweat on such materials (like from the hands that touch the bedrails or doorknobs) could corrode the copper so it isn’t useful anyway.

Check out the New York Times for a full explanation of this question.