Japan-Made Masks With Copper Alloy Effective vs Omicron Variant

Masks made of a copper alloy created in Japan have been shown to be efficient against the coronavirus's omicron strain, according to Akira Inoh for Mainichi Japan.

Photo Insert: The masks decreased the amount of delta strains to 1/100,000th of the original level – effectively undetectable – in two minutes, and a comparable impact against the omicron form was recently proven.

Ryuichi Nakano, a microbiology associate professor at Nara Medical University, and Yamato Shinku-Kougyo Co., a metal processing firm in Kashiba, both in Nara Prefecture, collaborated on the four-layered non-woven masks with a specific copper alloy inside.

The company first debuted the regular size masks in February for 3,120 yen (about $23) a pack, each containing 30 masks, then added two sizes to the range on July 15: small ones for 2,700 yen (about $20) a pack and children's masks for 2,550 yen (about $18) per pack.

Nakano specializes in drug-resistant organism research. He began researching metals to limit the spread of illnesses in hospitals, such as through door knobs, and has found that particular copper alloys containing numerous metal components, such as zinc, are highly effective against viruses.

Nakano was able to construct anti-coronavirus masks using Yamato Shinku-Kougyo's technology by treating nonwoven material with an evaporated copper alloy.

The masks decreased the amount of delta strains to 1/100,000th of the original level – effectively undetectable – in two minutes, and a comparable impact against the omicron form was recently proven. Nakano elabora "copper ions' effect of destroying RNA seems to work.

Using a copper alloy is important, as opposed to silver or pure copper, which work against bacteria alone." Yamato Shinku-Kougyo senior managing director Kazumi Iwamoto stated, "We paid thorough attention to scientific figures. We're confident about the masks' efficacy."

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