The following is text of a news release from Nippon Paint:
(OSAKA, Japan) — Nippon Paint and Corning Inc., the U.S.-based technology company, have developed a special coating to protect workers from picking up viruses from painted surfaces.
Nippon Paint's Antivirus Kids Paint, developed specifically for frontline hospital use, incorporates Corning Guardiant antimicrobial particles – a nascent technology designed to safeguard against viruses from adhering to hospital surfaces.
Experts estimate that viruses can remain viable on some surfaces for several days, depending on environmental conditions.
Nippon Paint and Corning believe antiviral coatings applied to surfaces can provide frontline health care workers with an additional layer of protection against viruses.
Nippon Paint's Antivirus Kids Paint was tested by Microchem Laboratory in the U.S. in January 2020, with results showing that the coating inactivates over 99.9 percent of the feline calicivirus. Feline calicivirus has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a suitable replacement for detecting human norovirus.
The new coating also kills harmful bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Nippon Paint and Corning Inc. have donated Nippon Paint Antivirus Kids Paint to four hospitals in China’s Hubei Province.
"The coronavirus outbreak has prompted us once again to be highly innovative, and we are happy to work jointly with Corning at this particular time to complete the development, tests and production of the antivirus coating," said Eric Chung, president of Nippon Paint, China. "We hope this will give frontline health care professionals valuable support as they fight the virus."
"We believe the paint created by Nippon Paint using Corning Guardiant antimicrobial particles can offer an additional layer of protection by reducing the risk of infection from viruses on the painted surfaces of hospitals and medical centers," said Dr. Joydeep Lahiri, division vice president and program director, specialty surfaces, Corning Inc.
While the coating was developed specifically for hospitals and health care environments, Dimitris Dalakouras, managing director, Conbulk Ship Management Corp., said, “With the safety of crewmembers 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.”
