TRADITIONAL JAPANESE PLASTER KILLS COVID VIRUS, RESEARCH SHOWS

Joint research conducted by Kansai Paint Co. and Nagasaki University has found shikkui plaster, a traditional Japanese building material, is effective in inactivating the infectious capability of the novel coronavirus, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

The research showed alkaline hydrated lime, the main component of the plaster, causes the virus to become inactive. The company based in Osaka City has the technology to turn the plaster into paint, which can then be applied to interior walls, cardboard and tape, among other things, to make them anti-viral.

The company conducted the experiments with Nagasaki University Prof. Jiro Yasuda, who is a virologist. After a plastic sheet was coated with the company’s plaster paint, more than 99.9% of the novel coronavirus became inactive within five minutes. The effect of the paint is said to last for seven to 10 years.

The plaster, which is a mixture of hydrated lime, glue and other materials, is used as a topcoat to protect walls. The paint might not inactivate the virus depending on the amount of slaked lime in the plaster. “Plaster paint is highly effective in inactivating the virus within a short period of time,” Yasuda said. “It can be applied to various items and used for a wide variety of purposes.”