After years of designing products for residential and commercial use, EOS Surfaces turned its attention to healthcare and the growing concern and costs of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). CEO Ken Trinder considered what material could possible help reduce the inevitable bioburden leading to disease transmission in hospitals and long-term care facilities. The result of this work joins the efforts to lower infection rates: EOSCU, an EPA-registered biocidal surface.
With a goal of assisting hospitals in lowering the rate of these infections, EOS pursued the idea of using cuprous oxide, a known biocidal agent already in use in textiles, industry, agriculture, and other applications, but as of yet not considered for surface materials. Thus began the years of testing and prototyping to find the best way to integrate the copper throughout the polymer matrix at the time of manufacturer, creating a solid surface that could be fabricated like any other solid surface and yet provide biocidal protections throughout the life of the product.
After over a year of experimentation and testing, EOS Surfaces developed a powerful surface material that effectively leveraged proprietary cuprous oxide, a highly effective form of copper, and a solid surface polymer. The manufacturing process was perfected, enabling the surface to be poured for horizontal surfaces, or heat molded into sinks and other applications.
The next step was Preventive|Biocidal surfaces that met the requirements for EPA registration, the gold-standard for public health claims.
EOSCU has the advantages of solid surface—durability, virtually seamless fabrication, and a beautiful aesthetic—with the unparalleled ability to self-sanitize. It continuously kills disease-causing bacteria, contributing to the spread of illnesses. But EOS Surfaces couldn't just make these claims without backing them up, leading to the arduous process of registering EOSCU with the EPA for public health claims. Achieving a 100% pass rate on thousands of samples at an independent lab granted EOSCU the right to claim that the surface could protect patients, not just protect the product.
Once EPA registration was achieved, EOS Surfaces worked to get EOSCU out into the field for independent testing. Numerous sites and publications later, the research confirms that EOSCU reduces rates of infection in hospitals and healthcare facilities, keeping bioburden levels significantly lower between cleaning and protecting patients from disease-causing bacteria. From idea to solution, EOSCU is playing a role in reducing hospital-associated infections in facilities across the country.
