Copper surfaces can reduce bacterial contamination
Латунні ручки музею Den Gamle By; склад та антимікробну реєстрацію цих конкретних ручок не встановлено / Brass handles at Den Gamle By museum; alloy composition and antimicrobial registration of these particular handles have not been established. Credit: Ciara Ní Riain; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=200464086
Some solid copper-containing surfaces have demonstrated antimicrobial activity under defined conditions. EPA evaluates specific products, bacteria, contact times and surface durability after wear. This does not make every brass handle instantly sterile or establish that all such handles were made specifically to fight microbes. An antimicrobial surface supplements regular cleaning rather than replacing it.