Improving health outcomes for people and raising awareness about the importance of mining and metals in our everyday lives is at the heart of Teck’s new program, Copper & Health.
Healthcare-acquired infections are one of the leading causes of death in Canada and the U.S. Copper is an innovative preventative solution, and around the world, copper surfaces are being installed in healthcare facilities to keep patients safe and healthy.
How Does Antimicrobial Copper Work?
Copper has unique antimicrobial properties—when installed on high-touch surfaces, copper eliminates 99.9% of harmful bacteria. It’s proven to continuously kill bacteria that cause infection, is safe for people and the environment, and is the only solid metal touch surface registered as a public health product by Health Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Antimicrobial copper requires no new processes, staff training or special maintenance, and it supplements standardized hospital cleaning by killing bacteria around the clock.
To date, antimicrobial copper has been installed in more than 90 healthcare facilities in 26 countries in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.
What is Copper & Health?
Through our new Copper & Health program, Teck is raising awareness, building partnerships and the evidence base in Canada, and improving health outcomes for patients, visitors and healthcare workers.
Work towards these goals is already underway. With Teck’s support, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) recently opened its newly expanded Intensive Care Unit, which included the installation of antimicrobial copper on all horizontal surfaces, the first such use of copper in a Canadian hospital.
To learn more about the innovative work being done through Teck’s new Copper & Health program, visit: www.coppersaveslives.com
Zinc & Health: What’s Next?
Since our Zinc & Health program launched in 2011, Teck has helped make significant progress in reducing preventable deaths of children: child mortality rates have decreased in every one of our Zinc & Health project countries. Today, more children are reaching their fifth birthday than ever before.
In 2018, Teck will continue work to help solve the global health issue of zinc deficiency through new partnerships and updated program pillars.
Visit www.zincsaveslives.com for more information, and watch for an update on our WE Day campaign in future issues of Connect.
