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Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: Teck) is partnering with TransLink, Vancouver Coastal Health, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, Coalition for Healthcare Acquired Infection Reduction and the University of British Columbia to test antimicrobial copper coatings on high-touch transit surfaces in Vancouver, Canada.

Copper alloy surfaces are naturally antimicrobial with self-sanitizing properties, with research showing that these surfaces eliminate up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses, Teck said.

This project is the first of its kind on a transit system in North America and the latest in Teck’s efforts to promote the use of antimicrobial copper surfaces in healthcare and public spaces through its Copper & Health Program.

The pilot project, funded by Teck, will run for an initial phase of four weeks with various copper surfaces installed on two buses on high-ridership routes and two SkyTrain cars.

An organosilane surface preservative will also be tested that has the potential to control and prevent the growth of microorganisms on treated surfaces.

“Through the Copper & Health program, Teck has been partnering with healthcare professionals, academia and others for years to help make communities safer,” said Teck CEO Don Lindsay in a media statement.

“This pilot builds on those efforts at a critical time as the world works to prevent the spread of covid-19.”

Lindsay said the project builds on preceding research and will increase understanding of the effectiveness of copper in killing organisms on frequently-touched surfaces.