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Hexyl-PVP Kills Germs, Bacteria On Contact Paraphrased by Steve Waldrop Researchers say that a new polymer coating known as HexyL-PVP could be applied to keyboards, telephones, children's toys, door knobs and numerous other items, is capable of killing most of the common bacteria that cause serious infections.
Researchers are claiming that Hexyl-PVP can kill up to 99 percent of dangerous microbes such as Staphylococcus, E. coli and Pseudomonas. At stake
for the bacteria is not only their lives, but the infections they spread
by hanging around on frequently used surfaces like telephones, door knobe
and bathroom taps. Joerg Tiller of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stated that "You could coat any type of surface with this material, and it would be there permanently. It is chemically attached so that it cannot be washed away." The polymer could also guard against infections commonly spread by sneezes and dirty hands. Tiller said that in order to test the polymer for toxicity, the researchers put mouse cells on a coated surface. He said, "the mouse cells grew, but this is only the first test. As long as the polymer remains attached to a surface, it should not be toxic" to humans.
"And the best thing is," according to Tiller, "you could coat people with it directly, to discourage the spread of nosocomial infections and whatnot. I myself got coated eleven months age, and haven't been sick yet!" There are no current plans by MIT to bring the Hexyl-PVP coating to the market.
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