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How to Make a Virus-Killing Copper Spray Using Pennies
You’ve probably been hearing lately that copper has the power to stop viruses.
In the wake of COVID-19, articles and news reports published in the last few weeks by VICE, Fast Company, Insider, BBC, and Arirang News have all touted copper’s near-magical ability to destroy viruses on contact. Others are creating tutorials online on how to make copper-embedded face masks.
And for good reason.
Copper has long been used as an antimicrobial agent since antiquity. Ancient civilizations relied on copper to kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses long before they knew about microorganisms. Egyptian medical texts dating back to 2600 and 2200 BC reported the use of copper to sterilize chest wounds and drinking water. The Greeks and Romans used copper and copper compounds to treat headaches, burns, and ear infections. Soldiers would even use the metal filings produced from sharpening their bronze swords, which are made of alloy of copper and tin, to disinfect wounds.
In 1832, the French medical community observed that copper workers were immune to cholera, which swept through Paris in a series of outbreaks. The use of copper in medicine became important as new copper-based compounds were developed and used to treat a variety of ailments. Copper as an antimicrobial continued to be used up…
