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- Corning, the company that makes tough glass products for smartphones and other devices, has come up with a paint solution to neutralize pathogens like the novel coronavirus.
- Corning Guardiant is a copper based paint additive that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses that land on surfaces.
- Pending EPA approval, Corning and its partner PPG will begin selling antiviral paint products capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2.
After almost a year of COVID-19, most people know you can get the disease from touching surfaces that have been contaminated. The risk is minimal but real, as the new coronavirus can survive on surfaces ranging from a few hours to a few days. Under certain conditions, the virus can last for almost a month on surfaces like smartphone glass. The easiest way to mitigate this risk is to wash your hands often during the day and use a disinfectant whenever soap and water are not readily available. It is also a good idea not to touch your face when your hands may be contaminated. This is how the virus gets into your eyes, mouth and nose, potentially infecting you.
Scientists are already studying various ways to inactivate the virus in public places, including UV light and plasma. Corning, the maker of the durable glass that protects iPhone and Android devices, has come up with its own invention that can kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in less than two hours.
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Corning on Thursday announced a technology called Corning Guardiant. This is a “new breakthrough in glass ceramic technology” that allows Corning to add a copper additive to glass ceramic technology that will turn this surface into a pathogen killing machine. The company says tests have shown “very long-lasting antimicrobial activity against SARS-CoV-2”, the virus that causes COVID-19. The paint coating was still effective against the virus even after Corning faked six years of washing.
According to its research, Corning Guardiant can kill pathogens within two hours, including Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and non-enveloped viruses such as murine norovirus “which belongs to the class of viruses most difficult to kill in terms of sensitivity to disinfectants”. Corning’s Guardiant coating works in both wet and dry test conditions, the company said. Comparatively, products that use silver and zinc perform better in wet contamination tests.
“We strive to create innovations that make the world a better place,” said Wendell P. Weeks, President and CEO of Corning. “Our scientists developed this unique paint additive using our high-tech glass ceramic technology. We are thrilled with the new lab results and look forward to working with our valued partner PPG. “
Paint technology relies on copper to kill germs on surfaces, whether they are bacteria or viruses like the novel coronavirus. It is not known when the Corning Guardiant product will be available and in which technology products it could be used. But the company said in the announcement that it is working with PPG and is looking to register EPA for Guardiant products. Pending EPA approval, the new PPG paint product will be available under the name Copper Armor, the company said.
Corning has posted a few videos on YouTube that explain the risk of fomite transmission for viruses and bacteria and the technology that allows some paints to neutralize pathogens – check out both below:
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he even knew it he was sharing his take on tech with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he miserably fails to walk away from them, although he desperately tries. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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