February 2009
 

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International copper industry defines role in the fight against hospital infections
press release; EurekAlert!; 5 Jan 09
The copper industry is working together to answer one very important question: Can copper and copper alloys (brass and bronze) help curb the spread of bacteria that cause hospital infection? Results of laboratory testing and clinical trials indicate that they can. Scientists from around the world shared their work at the first world congress, 'Copper and Public Health', on copper's role in fighting the bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections. The conference was held in Athens, Greece in November.

Leading scientists from the U.K., U.S., Germany and Greece, representing the disciplines of infection control, pathology, microbiology, hospital design, metallurgy and engineering, presented the scientific evidence supporting the case for incorporating copper surfaces into healthcare environments to help reduce the risk of infection and to protect public health. The first results from a clinical trial in Birmingham, England, demonstrate that the use of copper on certain surfaces on a busy hospital ward resulted in 90-100 percent fewer micro-organisms than the amount found on the control ward.

Clinical trials are comparing the amount of bacteria found on stainless steel, plastic and aluminum objects in intensive care units with the amount found on the same objects made of antimicrobial copper alloys, such as brass and bronze, in order to determine if copper alloys can lessen cross contamination, and perhaps lower rates of infection. The trials are funded by the U.S. Department of Defense under the aegis of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center (TATRC), a section of the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).

http://www.eurekalert.org
 

Intracellular amyloid formation in muscle cells of Abeta-transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans determinants and physiological role in copper detoxification
press release; 7th Space Interactive; 6 Jan 09
Intracellular amyloid aggregation of wild type Abeta is accelerated by Cu2+ and diminished by copper chelators. Moreover, we demonstrate through toxicity and behavioral assays that Abeta-transgenic worms display a higher tolerance to Cu2+ toxic effects and that this resistance may be linked to the formation of amyloid aggregates.
http://7thspace.com

Bolus micronutrients might stop calving niggles
by Sarah Trickett; Farmers Weekly, UK; 7 Jan 09
A Gloucestershire dairy herd manager never considered that a lack of vitamins and minerals could be the source of his troubles. His cows were deficient in vital trace elements such as copper, iodine, selenium and calcium.
http://www.fwi.co.uk

Medical devices company makes spinal infection fighter
by Lilly Rockwell; Austin American-Statesman, TX; 6 Jan 09
DiFusion Technologies Inc. plans to market a device that mixes silver, zinc and copper ions with plastic used to make existing implants. The mixture has been shown to help the body fight infections.
http://www.statesman.com

Vital eco-wear redefines active sportswear
Knitting Industry, UK; 6 Jan 09
Vital eco-wear plans to incorporate advanced copper fibres that offer skin-soothing and enhancing properties, with further fabric development even looking at options for medication-delivering fibres.
http://www.knittingindustry.com

John Simpson’s miracle cure
by Samantha Stratton; Mudgee Guardian and Gulong Advertiser, Australia; 4 Jan 09
A copper-based cream theoretically helps stop arthritic and joint pain, and even muscle spasms. http://mudgee.yourguide.com.au and http://www.theage.com.au

 

£50m cleanup for polluted old mines in North Wales
by Hywel Trewyn;  Daily Post North Wales, UK; 2 Jan 09
Environment Agency Wales asked the National Assembly for money to clean up the former Parys Mountain copper mine, an industrial archaeological monument of international importance but also one of the most polluting metal mines included in the Metal Mine Strategy for Wales.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk

Fish to be tested for toxins
Copper, arsenic, mercury, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls will be tested on yellow-eye mullet and black bream fillets for the first time since dredging began in Port Phillip Bay.
(AAP); Sydney Morning Herald, Australia; 6 Jan 09
http://news.smh.com.au and http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au

Russian nickel plant pollution increasing (impacting Russia's and Norway's border)
Barents Observer, Russia; 7 Jan 09
Studies by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority show that the downfall of copper, nickel and arsenic was four to seven times higher in the 2004-2008-period than in the previous 15 years.
http://www.barentsobserver.com

Peru quadruples copper mining concession to Monterrico  
ENS Newswire; 5 Jan 09
Peru has approved the request of Monterrico Metals (UK) to quadruple the original amount of land open to mining by Monterrico at the Rio Blanco Project. The approval was granted against the will of the local residents.
http://www.ens-newswire.com

Should a mining company be allowed to ruin a lake?
Editorial; USA Today; 12 Jan 09
The Clean Water Act is meant to protect places such as Alaska’s Lower Slate. Concerns have been raised about dumping tailings into the headwaters of salmon streams at Alaska's Bristol Bay gold and copper mine.
http://blogs.usatoday.com

NM wins case against Freeport-McMoran
(AP); El Paso, Las Cruces CBS, KDBC, TX; 13 Jan 09
The state Water Quality Control Commission has ruled that Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. must protect groundwater and clean up pollution beneath its property in southern New Mexico.
http://www.kdbc.com

Cummins confronted by EPA over copper zeolite
by Oliver Dixon (press release); istockAnalyst..com, OR; 14 Jan 09
EPA is concerned about Cummins’ proposed use of copper zeolite in its 2010 compliant engine range. Copper zeolite has the potential to catalyze dioxin formation in incinerators and vehicle exhausts. However, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst will result in fuel savings of approximately 5%. http://www.istockanalyst.com and http://www.trucknews.com

Stressed-out worms tell farming tales
by Anna Salleh; ABC Science Online, Australia; 19 Jan 09
Stress metabolites were linked to copper and pesticide toxicity in soils.
http://www.abc.net.au

Canada’s hidden toxic mining data sought in court
Environment News Service Newswire; 19 Jan 09
Canada's Federal Court heard a lawsuit today brought against the Minister of the Environment for failing to ensure that Canada's mining industry publicly reports the toxics in mine tailings. Mine tailings can contain arsenic, mercury, copper, nickel, selenium and other toxic substances.
http://www.ens-newswire.com

Grant to help study iron, copper in ocean water
by Jessica Bloch; Bangor Daily News, ME; 7 Jan 09
Iron and copper in ocean water could have implications for climate change research. A four-year National Science Foundation grant will investigate the hypothesis.
http://www.bangornews.com

Contaminant removal
The Engineer, UK; 15 Jan 09
A hydrogel material that can detect and remove contaminants in water has been developed. The material consists of polymer coils held together by strands of metallothioneins - proteins that bind to copper, zinc, cadmium, mercury, chromium, and arsenic ions - that can poison water supplies.
http://www.theengineer.co.uk


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