PCA Articles

PPG Copper Armor Interior Paint

PPG COPPER ARMOR™ Antiviral and Antibacterial Interior Paint Protects Largest School System in South Texas

Keypoints:

  • Northside Independent School District (NISD), the largest school system in south Texas, experienced high-rates of absenteeism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To protect its students and faculty, NISD launched an antibacterial and antiviral renovation project, a key component of which was applying PPG COPPER ARMORTM to high-traffic areas.
  • PPG Copper Armor is an innovative interior coating that is powered by Corning® Guardiant® technology to provide residual sanitizing activity killing 99.9% of bacteria and viruses1 within 2 hours of exposure. The germ zapping technology remains active, protecting the painted surface for up to five years.
  • The 2022 R&D 100 Award winner, leverages copper, a naturally-occurring element, to keep interior surfaces clean by providing a barrier against disease-causing agents including bacteria and viruses1 such as staphylococcus, MRSA, E. Coli and SARS CoV-23.

School system reinforces commitment to student and staff safety with PPG Copper Armor-coated surfaces

Northside Independent School District (NISD) is the largest school system in south Texas. Located in San Antonio,, its faculty and staff include nearly 102,000 students across 125 schools. Like every school district in the United States, NISD experienced significant absenteeism throughout the pandemic. In early 2022, nearly 20% of students and 15% of staff were out due to the coronavirus, severely impacting teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn. This amplified NISD’s commitment to student safety and fast-tracked its plans to renovate high-traffic areas with bacteria- and virus- fighting paint.

The school system launched the initial phase of an antibacterial and antiviral renovation project during the summer of 2022 and updated 10 nursing suites and multiple hallways with PPG antimicrobial coatings. The renovation also remedied water damage that had occurred over time. To provide a continuous barrier against bacteria and viruses on painted, high-traffic nursing suites and other areas, NISD chose PPG Copper Armor Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial Interior Paint.

Benefits of Copper Armor paint

Formulated with Corning® Guardiant® copper technology, PPG Copper Armor antimicrobial paint meets rigorous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing and registration requirements and has been proven to continuously kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria within two hours of exposure for up to five years2. This includes staph, E. coli, pseudomonas, MRSA, salmonella and SARS Cov-2, which causes coronavirus3.

Its mold and mildew resistant technology is ideally suited for moisture-prone surfaces. In addition, its low odor and zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs) formula helps maintain air quality.

“This is a great paint and primer product that kills bacteria for five years,” said Avelardo Garcia, NISD Paint Shop Manager. “It’s an innovative solution for projects like ours that require multiple levels of protection against viruses, germs, mold and mildew.”

In addition to its antimicrobial abilities, PPG Copper Armor also provides the same excellent hide, durability and premium application properties that customers expect from PPG paint’s more than 135 years of leading industry expertise. Available in eggshell, satin and semi-gloss, PPG Copper Armor can be tinted to more than 600 colors from the PPG paint palette.

Result of Copper Armor application

PPG’s health- and eco-friendly Copper Armor will provide an anti-bacterial and anti-viral barrier for NISD students, faculty and staff without having to repaint the surfaces for several years. The coating is also environmentally friendly, thanks to its low odor and zero VOC characteristics.

Copper Armor honored with prestigious R&D 100 Award

NISD isn’t the only organization recognizing the benefits of Copper Armor. In August 2022, PPG Copper Armor antimicrobial paint earned the prestigious R&D® 100 Award in the Mechanical/Materials category. The R&D 100 Awards Committee and R&D World magazine honor the 100 most innovative technologies and services of the past year with the R&D 100 Awards. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards program has identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market and celebrated the top technology products of the year.

To learn more about PPG Copper Armor paint and to find a store near you, visit: www.ppgpaints.com/copper-armor-paint.

1 S. aureus (Staph) ATCC 6538, P. aeruginosa ATCC 15442, K. aerogenes ATCC 13048 as well as MRSA ATCC 33591, Enterococcus faecium ATCC 29212, E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 35150, Salmonella enterica ATCC 10708 and viruses Norovirus (Feline calicivirus) ATCC VR-782 and SARS-CoV-2 BEI Resources NR-52281 within 2 Hours of exposure on painted surfaces.

2 Effective for up to 5 years based on test method “Protocol for the Evaluation of Bactericidal Activity of Antimicrobial Coated Surfaces” (MRID 51062601) as long as the integrity of the surface is maintained and is part of a comprehensive infection control and hygiene program. Cleaning agents typically used to maintain painted surfaces are permissible including multi-purpose, bleach, and peroxide cleaners. Quaternary ammonium (quats) disinfectants should be avoided.

3 Kills 99.9% of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Enterobacter aerogenes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylocuccus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Escherichia Coli (E. coli), and Salmonella, and viruses Feline Calicivirus and SARS CoV-2 within 2 hours of exposure to paint surfaces.

4 Colorants added to this base paint may increase VOC level significantly depending of color choice.

Copper Armor is a trademark of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.
Corning and Guardiant are registered trademarks of Corning Incorporated.