Carlos Cardenas

Copper has proven to be one of the most suitable materials against the spread of COVID-19. Recent studies found that this virus survives only four hours on copper surfaces. Compared to other materials, such as plastic, cardboard, and other metals where COVID-19 can last up to several days, this material could become an essential tool in the battle against the pandemic.

However, how can we incorporate it into our daily lives? Hands play a fundamental role in COVID-19 transmission; by touching surfaces, viruses and bacteria can spread, which later are transmitted to our faces, and finally inside our bodies.

Protecting our hands with latex gloves is an effective solution only if we permanently replacing them as medical staff does. Otherwise, COVID-19 will remain on them for at least one day. But copper gloves reduce this time to only 4 hours, reducing the need to change them so frequently, and providing a sustainable alternative for the non-reusable latex since copper gloves are recyclable.

This product is an excellent option to the general public (non-medical); especially for people who necessarily touch many surfaces, people that work with gloves, or regions where water supply is limited so washing hands is complicated. After a short period of time, they are disinfected, and they make harder to COVID-19 migrates to new surfaces. Thus, hands are converted in pandemic mitigation tool, adding properties that our skin have not.