3 Dec 2009
Antibacterial door handles break down harmful bacteria
In collaboration with Polygiene, ASSA has developed a door handle that effectively breaks down bacteria. It features Addion, an antibacterial surface coating with a wear-resistant metallic surface, which breaks down bacteria significantly faster than other surface coatings such as nickel, chrome, brass and stainless steel.
The past ten years have seen a dramatic rise in bacteria that cannot be treated with regular antibiotics. Studies show that multiresistant bacteria are primarily spread via hands and contact surfaces.¹
That’s why ASSA and Polygiene (of the Perstorp Group) developed an antibacterial surface coating with enough wear resistance that it can be used in environments with large flows of people, and environments in which bacteria are spread extensively.
”Addion is ideal for environments where bacteria are easily spread, such as healthcare and childcare facilities and other high-traffic public environments where doors are frequently used,” says Anders Birgersson, product manager for hardware and fittings at ASSA.
“Addion is unique because with Polygiene’s technology we added silver, which is evenly distributed throughout the material. The silver ions migrate up to the surface, where they then break down the bacteria in a continuous process,” Anders says.
The St. Petri School in Malmö, Sweden, has already chosen Addion handles.
“When we totally renovated the school, we discussed several handle solutions,” says superintendent Per-Åke Brodin at the St. Petri School in Malmö. “We opted for ASSA’s antibacterial door handles. We replaced all handles in the school, and that reduced the spread of infection in the flu season, keeping our sick-leave figures low.”
Addion’s antibacterial properties combined with its superb wear resistance contribute to long-lasting protection against the spread of bacteria.
1) Importance of the environment in meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisition: the case for the hospital cleaning, Dr Stephanie j Dancer MD. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2008;8:101-113