Nippon Paint and Corning Inc, have developed a special coating to protect workers from picking up viruses from painted surfaces.
Though developed specifically for frontline hospitals, the paint could well find maritime applications, including cruise ships through Nippon Paint Marine.
Nippon Paint’s Antivirus Kids Paint, incorporates Corning Guardiant Antimicrobial Particles – a new technology designed to safeguard against viruses from sticking to hospital surfaces.
The paint was tested by the US Microchem Laboratory in January this year, with results showing that the coating inactivates over 99.9% of the feline calicivirus. Feline calicivirus has been approved by the US EPA as a suitable replacement for detecting human norovirus.
It also kills harmful bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Nippon Paint and Corning Inc have donated RMB5 mill (about $708,000) worth of Nippon Paint Antivirus Kids Paint to four hospitals in China’s Hubei Province.
While the coating was developed specifically for hospitals and healthcare environments, Nippon Paint Marine quoted Dimitris Dalakouras, Managing Director, Conbulk Ship Management Corp, as saying: “With the safety of crew members being our prime concern, the coating could eventually find application across the maritime industry. Hospital ships are an obvious beneficiary, but the coating could also be used to protect surfaces in cruise ships, passenger ferries, as well as other types of commercial vessels.”
