Copper surfaces kill bacteria and viruses within a few hours.
Why it is true
Copper ions damage the membranes and genetic material of microbes. In 2020 a study showed that the new coronavirus could no longer be detected after 4 hours on copper, against up to 3 days on plastic. That is why some hospitals use copper door handles and rails.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine (van Doremalen et al., 2020)
Would you rather be asked first?
This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.
