Antimicrobial Coatings...Silver Bullet or Snake Oil?

Concern about microbes and the risks they bring had already been increasing over the past 20 years, but the pandemic created even more heightened awareness by government, business and the general public of the threat. Understandably paint makers want to do the best they can to address this issue and a wide range of antimicrobial coatings are  currently available with the likelihood  that many more will follow. Are they the answer to a major health problem? Do they make no difference? Or could they make things worse?

Q: What do we mean by microbes? 

A: This is a very broad  and general term for all the life forms that are so small that a single one is invisible to the naked eye, It includes bacteria, fungi, yeasts and moulds, some microscopic multi celled animals and plants, and also includes viruses that most scientists do not consider to be alive in the accepted sense.

Q: Where do we find microbes? 

A: Quite literally they are everywhere. In the air, in water, in soil and of course in and on our bod