Protection Paints has developed Vira-Protect with a source of silver ions combined with water-based paint-compatible polyurethane to create a hardwearing, efficient paint to support infection control
At the forefront of the issues concerning medical and healthcare settings, education and hospitality is infection prevention. Whether this be protecting staff, patients or clients, the control of spread is essential.
Each individual case of MRSA alone has an average cost to the NHS of £9,000.
COVID-19 and preventative control
During the Covid pandemic, costs to each government ran into hundreds of billions and it became very apparent that prevention was the key in the battle surrounding shell viruses. This led to the introduction of PPE and associated preventative measures. While beneficial, these are problematic to sustain long-term and only tackle direct contact rather than indirect transmission resulting from a shell virus’ ability to remain infectious on a surface.
This led to essential vigorous cleaning regimes, which are unavoidably costly, disruptive, destructive to interior decoration and create harbours for dirt and microbes in all but the highest wet-scrub resistant paints.
The importance of wet-scrub-resistant paint
It is widely acknowledged that if healthcare and medical settings can reduce the transmission of viruses, it will be a safer and more cost-effective solution than simply treating the effects. There needed to be an effective and cost-efficient method of controlling the surface-to-person spread. To achieve this, government departments need to be able to incorporate smooth, wet-scrub-resistant paint with the highest and longest-lasting anti-viral and anti-microbial efficacy.
The safe, long-proven biocide for long-term efficacy against harmful gamma- and gamma+ bacteria at the distant, opposite and safe end of the spectrum from the three toxic metalloids antimony, lead and cyanide has been silver. The active, safe and long-lasting form comes from expensive micronised silver particles releasing ions whose proton-to-neutron imbalance creates an electric charge and light-and-heat reflectivity damage the spikes and sticky parts of lipid viral shells, preventing their bond abilities and their spikes’ penetration of our lungs’ air sacs when they open to inhale.
Regrettably, COVID-19, flu, and other human coronaviruses demand for approximately 10 times the concentration of silver precludes its use for chemical corporations driven by demand to maintain or increase profit margins.
Some have withdrawn after failing to solve this profit margin issue in attempts to adapt their anti-bacterial paints. We rejected cheap chlorinated silver compounds with anti-viral “properties” over concerns ions from its tiny percentage of silver will be used up within a short time.
The development of Vira-Protect
Protection Paints found and invested in resolving this problem by developing Vira-Protect. Using a high percentage of high-tech enmeshed micronised solid silver particles to create a source of silver ions able to retain efficacy over a full painting cycle. Combining this with their water-based paint-compatible polyurethane hardened and smoothed for a top-quality finish provided the much sought-after result.
Vira-Protect’s proven ISO 11998 Class 1 wet scrub resistance enables it to withstand the vigorous complementary cleaning regimes required in healthcare settings. To minimise disruption and overall cost, an unrivalled percentage of the most effective, safe white paint pigment reduces application to a single smooth coat instead of other paints’ two coats, and two coats for major colour shifts, for which others need three or even four coats. The reduction in the quantity of cans required reduces waste can disposal by approximately 33%, as well as cutting costs for purchasers.
99.9% bacteria reduction in 24 hours
Vira-Protect proved 99.9% bacteria reduction in 24 hours to approved standard ISO 22196; 91.5% reduction in Human Coronavirus in two hours to approved standard ISO 21702.
For corridors, stairs and entrances, Protection Paints recommend Vira-Flame Protect, which maintains the same anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties as Vira-Protect, while adding full protection for multi-layer walls of the safest surface fire standard, with the highest level of control of toxic gas and smoke to the new standard BSEN Class B s1d0.
Savings in time, disruption, waste disposal, ease and speed of cleaning and extended time before future redecoration is next needed add up to Vira-Protect aiding infection control at little or no extra cost over contracting out two coats of standard decorative washable acrylic wall paints.
