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February 27, 2008
Quit Spreading Germs! Wash That Keyboard!
By Are you, or have you been, sick with a cold or flu this winter? If you are human, or even just a carbon-based life form, the answer is probably yes. (In fact, if you are reading this from your sickbed, have some chicken soup and take a nap immediately after finishing this article.)
We all know that modern medicine has brought us gene splicing, in vitro fertilization, antibiotics, stronger antibiotics and even stronger antibiotics, gene therapy and a sequenced human genome.
What it regrettably hasn't been able to do yet is cure the common cold and influenza, which are collectively responsible for billions of dollars in lost productivity in the workplace each year, not to mention a great deal of human misery. The only answer modern medicine can give us is, "Wash your hands." And it can't hurt to do a little germ killing on surfaces like doorknobs, telephones and sink faucets. And keyboards.
Wait…keyboards?
A company called Unotron, a manufacturer of something called SpillSeal technology, this week introduced a product called GermStopper SpillSeal Washable Corded Keyboard S6000K. It's a new computer keyboard design with antibacterial protection incorporated into the plastic for added safety and "a new soft touch for easier typing." The solution is part of a product collective called "washable data input and security devices" that are easily cleaned and disinfected to help mitigate the spread of infection in healthcare, education, commercial and government environments. The company's patented SpillSeal protection allows keyboards to become fully submerged in water or antibacterial solutions for disinfecting.
"We have made SpillSeal even more effective, with significant research and dedicated resources powering the introduction of this new technology which is not only exceptional for disinfecting keyboards and protecting them from accidental spills, but also offering users the utmost in antibacterial protection," says Joseph Carabello, director of Unotron. "Incorporated into the plastic of our new keyboards is an inorganic silver-based biocide which allows silver ions to counteract the molecular process of microorganisms -- more commonly known as bacteria. This causes the harmful organisms to die, lose their ability to infect and prevent reproduction."
A powerful, broad-spectrum, inorganic, silver-based biocide is integrated into the plastic of the SpillSeal Washable Corded Keyboard S6000K. Silver ions, according to the company, are maintained in inorganic matrices to become antimicrobial with very low toxicity levels as well as being non-corrosive, non-flammable and non-sensitizing.
The integration of silver-based biocides is apparently widely used throughout Japan and is rapidly catching on in the U.S. and in Europe. Silver-based biocides are the future of bacteria-free environments because they can be incorporated into numerous products including but not limited to plastic.
For more information, visit www.unotron.com.
Tracey Schelmetic is editorial director for CUSTOMER INTER@CTION Solutions. For more articles please visit Tracey Schelmetic’s columnist page.
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Communications industry. The library offers whitepapers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users. Today’s featured white paper is Significantly Improve Your Business Communications, brought to you by Avaya (News - Alert).» More Contact CenterCommunity Stories